Decay In The Horses And A Separate Peace
William Lane’s “The Horses” and John Knowles’s “A Separate Peace” employ various stylistic features to explore the idea of decay within individuals from each novel. “The Horses” details the school life of a fictional modern Australian high school centred on medieval re-enactments alongside education, in which the teacher Val decays through loss of his reputation. “A Separate Peace”, also set within a high school, Devon High School, in the United States of America during World War II, follows the drama between two friends Gene and Phineas (Finny), and the decay of the character Gene, who loses his identity so that he becomes Finny. The authors firstly employ characterisation in Val’s desire to put himself above others, spurring his reputational
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As for the settings in Devon School where Gene is taught, the seasons and weather change in accordance with the events of decay seen in Gene, as when he loses more of himself to Finny, the setting changes from summer warmth to winter chill. Val’s decay, as it fluctuates, is also reflected by changing weather which effects the setting, since after or during events of immense decay seen in Val, there is torrential rain, causing permanent changes in the setting. As during the early section of the novel “A Separate Peace”, when Gene has little decay in himself, the season is summer, during which the weather is warm and bliss, with “The clean-washed shine of summer mornings in the north country.” Much like the early settings of Val’s school, in which the setting is associated with summer, “The light had become the even light of noon in autumn.” However, as both novels develop, and the decay of each character increases, the settings of the novels change to reflect this state of decay in the characters. In Val’s school, the weather worsens with continued storms and flooding, damaging the school, like how the decay is damaging Val, “‘Mace house is slipping! Mace is slipping down the bank, into the creek!’”, along with ‘wet’ weather worsening with Val’s decay, “All day rain pelted down, the drops cold and plump.” Gene’s decay is represented in a similar fashion, by which …show more content…
Val shows this in the beginning of the novel, when he is introduced to the reader with no noticeable decay, “Val was a state tennis champion, he played club football, and represented the country at chess.” Gene’s introduction also has little decay when he’s returning to Devon School in the future, having dealt with and recovered from the decay, “I went back to the Devon School not long ago, and found it looking oddly newer than when I was a student there fifteen years before.” But, as both novels continue, their decay sees noticeable change. As after the introduction there is the ‘Defining Event’ in “A Separate Peace”, when Gene is informed that Finny is now crippled, “At his touch I lost all hope of controlling myself. I burst out crying into my hands; I cried for Phineas and for myself and for this doctor who believed in facing things.” After this ‘Defining Event’ the structure of “A Separate Peace” builds up to Finny’s eventual death, during which Gene continues to decay so to take on who Finny was, “With that blank filled, I took up my duties as assistant senior crew manager.” Val’s decay with the novel structure follows in a more linear fashion, with the novel detailing a build up to Val’s demise, where he continues to make others despise him, “‘And now,’
As for the settings in Devon School where Gene is taught, the seasons and weather change in accordance with the events of decay seen in Gene, as when he loses more of himself to Finny, the setting changes from summer warmth to winter chill. Val’s decay, as it fluctuates, is also reflected by changing weather which effects the setting, since after or during events of immense decay seen in Val, there is torrential rain, causing permanent changes in the setting. As during the early section of the novel “A Separate Peace”, when Gene has little decay in himself, the season is summer, during which the weather is warm and bliss, with “The clean-washed shine of summer mornings in the north country.” Much like the early settings of Val’s school, in which the setting is associated with summer, “The light had become the even light of noon in autumn.” However, as both novels develop, and the decay of each character increases, the settings of the novels change to reflect this state of decay in the characters. In Val’s school, the weather worsens with continued storms and flooding, damaging the school, like how the decay is damaging Val, “‘Mace house is slipping! Mace is slipping down the bank, into the creek!’”, along with ‘wet’ weather worsening with Val’s decay, “All day rain pelted down, the drops cold and plump.” Gene’s decay is represented in a similar fashion, by which …show more content…
Val shows this in the beginning of the novel, when he is introduced to the reader with no noticeable decay, “Val was a state tennis champion, he played club football, and represented the country at chess.” Gene’s introduction also has little decay when he’s returning to Devon School in the future, having dealt with and recovered from the decay, “I went back to the Devon School not long ago, and found it looking oddly newer than when I was a student there fifteen years before.” But, as both novels continue, their decay sees noticeable change. As after the introduction there is the ‘Defining Event’ in “A Separate Peace”, when Gene is informed that Finny is now crippled, “At his touch I lost all hope of controlling myself. I burst out crying into my hands; I cried for Phineas and for myself and for this doctor who believed in facing things.” After this ‘Defining Event’ the structure of “A Separate Peace” builds up to Finny’s eventual death, during which Gene continues to decay so to take on who Finny was, “With that blank filled, I took up my duties as assistant senior crew manager.” Val’s decay with the novel structure follows in a more linear fashion, with the novel detailing a build up to Val’s demise, where he continues to make others despise him, “‘And now,’