A Separate Peace by John KnowlesA Separate Peace was written by John Knowles in 1959 when he was 33 years old. It takes place at a New Hampshire prep school during World War II. Some teenagers from this school are strongly affected by the war. Many adults ask them to join the armed forces. Gene, the main character, trains with his old sports friend, Finny, for the Olympics. Although against the war, many people demand that he join it. His other friend, Leper, joins the group and receives an Article 8 release for being considered "mentally unstable." Even though they are against the war, many boys join the troops just to avoid being drafted to the front lines. This also relates to how many teenagers feel today. America is currently engaged in a war that many people oppose but join the military for money or simply to travel. At times like these, it's always good to reflect on our ancestors' times and hear what it was like for them. At Devon School, the students feel compelled to join the forces because all the adults who started the war are constantly telling the boys the benefits of joining, knowing full well that they themselves are not running. no risk of injury. Many boys give in to the pressure and join the group, but others do not give in and decide to finish their last year of school. Unlike World War II, teenagers don't feel the constant pressure to resolve a war started by their parents. Today's war is so controversial that saying you are opposed to war is not as bad as it was during World War II. At Devon it is very difficult to walk around campus without talking about the war, as it is today, but today is very different. Today at school children will talk about both sides of the war, the good and the bad, not just one side, as they did in Devon. Today we talk more about war because not everyone agrees on the reason for war. During World War II, it was clear why they were at war and most countries agreed with it. Today we are a nation divided in two, which is a good thing because it allows people to express themselves without criticism from the entire nation, but if you spoke ill of the war during the Second World War, it is likely that you would be considered the most unpatriotic person in America.