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Example research essay topic: End Of The Book Beginning Of The Book - 1,440 words

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The ability to handle change is a in important aspect of life. In the book A Separate Peace by John Knowles, change is one of the main themes though out the whole book. Every single character in the book goes through a significant change. Whether it was physical, mental, or both, each character undergoes a change that dramatically differentiates him or her from the beginning.

One of the characters in the book, Gene, sets the tone when he says, So the more things stay the same, the more they change after all. A very well thought out comment and indeed the main part of the plot. For Phineas, change was an evil that took hold of his life and eventually destroyed it. In the beginning of the book, Phineas, otherwise known a Finny, was much like a god.

He was extremely athletic. His muscular build, incredible knack for any type of physical activity, and his pure, innocent soul that he was portrayed to all, pushed him to the top of the Devon School students. He was one of the few people at Devon that really distinguished himself from the people around him. He constantly made records, broke records, and amazed everyone. His charm, humor and great sense of self worth made everyones day a little more upbeat. Seeing someone like that made many of the other people idolize him.

However, his only flaw was the only thing that he could hold on to by the end of the book. He was not gifted in anyway academically, he constantly flunked causing an almost double personality. One side was constantly winning and the other side of him was constantly losing. By the end of the book, Phineas has broken his leg, eventually losing these amazing triumphs to the hands of fate.

The way in which he broke his leg also changed his personality because the person in which he trusted most caused him to become crippled which eventually led to his death. His best friend, Gene, pushed Gene out of a tree, causing the life of this young man to unravel in an extremely different way than expected. However, even after the accident, he did not believe that his friend could do such a thing. After breaking his leg a second time, his personality went a totally different direction. He became quieter, only talking to his best friend, Gene. When he found out that Gene pushed him off, he shut himself off to everyone.

His belief in himself and others was crushed to pieces. He always believed that everyone must win, however when he could no longer even play the game, he began to doubt his previous triumphs. His self worth slowly crept away, leaving him with nothing. In the scene before the scene of his death he said to Gene, You want to break something else in me! Is that why you are here? It is extremely unlike Finny to hate in such a strong manner.

He trashed around in his bed wildly but his bound up leg restrained him to the bed. This sight in my mind was the most obvious and depressing sign of change in Phineas. Everything Phineas was living for was being snatched away, leaving him nothing, his change so drastically crippled him on the outside but also destroyed him on the inside. The next person who was extremely affected by the change inside him and around him was a student named Edwin Lepellier, otherwise know as Leper. At the start of the book, A Separate Peace, Leper was a loner that enjoyed nature. He was a bit of an outcast and enjoyed spending time alone rather than spending it with anyone else.

He had few friends and was severely cowardly. In fact, Leper wouldnt even jump out of a tree into the water below, even though many of the students of Devon did it repeatedly. He was obsessed with the idea of nature. He would do anything to bask in this natural environment for him because he liked to shut himself away from the real world. He didnt enjoy the presence of others because so many bad things could happen, change could happen. In his ideal life in the woods, nothing would change, except the weather or the location.

No one would be there to make fun of him or make him feel out of place. His mindset was not at all with current times or the war going on at that time. He was fine with being by himself. However, after watching a movie that advocated the war, this movie made the war seemed, like the ideal place for Leper. It made it seem like the most perfect place to be; so he enlists. When he comes back he is altered in an extreme and demented way.

He no longer had any control over himself. He began to have fits to of dementia and delirium. He came back as the most extreme opposite than he was before. He had seen too much for this young man to stand.

He began to go crazy, or psycho as he referred to himself. His change was best described by Brinker Hadley, another student at Devon, he said, He must be out of his mind to do a thing like that. I bet he cracked up, didnt he? Leper found out that the army was too much for him. This quote, cruel but quite true, is the best way to describe what happened inside Lepers head. He was no longer a simple boy, obsessed with nature and being by himself.

He was now a boy, a boy that has experienced too much for his well being and can no longer control the way he acts. Change can be a very good thing; however, just like in Lepers case it can also be extremely traumatic. Gene, the main character in A Separate Peace, changed, but ever so slightly. He did not experience any physical changes or any extreme mental changes; however, he changed for the best. In the beginning of the book, he was an extremely sadistic, rigid, smart boy.

He had friends but never really drew them in that closely. He never before had a true friend with whom he could share his inner emotions. He would constantly over analyze things, not acting upon his first instinct. He would think about the problem and think about it till it made logical sense in his head. He kept to himself, leaving his inner thoughts never to touch his lips. He would hold his anger inside him until it exploded out from every pore in his body.

He was extremely involved in his schoolwork and did very well. He would miss many of the exciting events around school to study, his intellectual side of his mind totally taking over his inner self. He also did not really know his true self. He could not admit up to the faults and weaknesses that plagued him, he could over analyze everyone else but he never really examined himself. He constantly wondered and worried, these two things always filling his life with troubles. However, after experiencing Devon, Phineas, and many of the other great things and troublesome things in his life he began to change and thus grew.

He drew Phineas in as a best friend and by the end of the book told him all the ideas and thoughts filling his mind. He told Phineas things that he had never told anyone. He was still is not the kind of a person who did something the minute it came into his mind but he got much better. Because of his inner frustrations, he pushed Phineas off the tree, breaking his leg, because Phineas made him realize things about himself. Phineas inadvertently made Gene see that he possessed hatred, greed, envy and hate.

He made him see all the things that he has never realized or chose not to realize before. After this event, all of his drastic changes came about. Sometimes it takes a horrid event to make someone realize how unreal his or her life was before. In life, change can happen, as swiftly as the weather changes; however, change can also come extremely slowly, so slow that the person is not fully aware of their changes. In the amazingly written book, A Separate Peace by John Knowles, portrayed change in many different ways. However the real question asked by John Knowles is, Does change eventually lead to happiness?

According to John Knowles, there is no real way to know. One must live their life and see where these changes take them.


Free research essays on topics related to: beginning of the book, separate peace, end of the book, young man, john knowles

Research essay sample on End Of The Book Beginning Of The Book

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