While reading “A Separate Peace” I could see that through his novel, John Knowles is trying to present the ghastly truths of war. My first body paragraph covers the human inclination to war and the consequences that come with conflict. The second paragraph I have discusses the idea of honor and how Knowles believes it to be a lie.

In my first concrete detail I used a quote from Paul Witherington about the reasons for war. Witherington describes how war is predicated on anger and jealousy, that if these emotions are intense then the fighting will be just as intense. My second concrete detail focuses on how Gene wants to be better than Finny, but while trying to overtake him in sports he allows his grades to falter. This is supposed to represent the unforeseen consequences of war. We often think that there is only one loser in conflict and that isn’t true. The winner can often lose something in all conflict. War is brought about to destroy something and it can do nothing but amplify its effect.

The Bible has a few things to say on the concrete details I have cited. As it pertains to the first detail, James 4:1-2 reads, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask.” Right there the Bible says that war is caused by our jealousy and self desires and that if we so wish to have what we don’t then all that is required is not conflict, but Christ. Galatians 6:7 ties into my second concrete detail. It reads, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” In this verse we see that you must also suffer the actions that you commit against others. War’s destruction is not a one way street, it is inevitable that you will have consequences for your actions.

John Knowles may not be completely right about the causes and effects of war. Yes, some wars can be for just reasons, but think about all the conflicts in human history. World War One started because Germany and their allies wanted to expand their borders and have empires that spanned the globe like those of other European nations. It destroyed Europe and killed millions. When Knowles talks about how hate can cause intense conflict, look at the world today. Some of the greatest threats to the world now are from Islamic terrorist who’s reasons for fighting are their hate of things like homosexuality, Judaism, and western civilization. All of that hate has resulted in the killing of millions throughout history.

In my second paragraph, I focus on the idea of honor in war and how it is a fabrication made to only romanticize war. Concrete detail one focuses on how Mr. Hadly tells the boys at Devon that combat duty will bring them war stories to reminisce about in the future and how they are constantly fed this idea. War doesn’t bring happy stories, only despair. The second detail I focus on is how in the novel the boys are visited by military officers so they can hear about how much military service will benefit them. Boys at Devon are constantly told that service will make their lives better and bring honor to their name, but they are never told about the consequences that come with it.

Now the Bible doesn’t necessarily agree with Knowles that there is no honor in war. God has often called his followers to battle. But when Jesus came to earth he did his best to make it clear to humanity where the line should be drawn between true and false honor. Matthew 26:52 reads, “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.’” This verse means that if you fight for hateful or sinful reasons then you do not fight for honor. However, Romans 13:4 reads, “For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” God has made it clear through the Bible that those who fight against evil in the world are on the side of Him and shall have honor.

Knowles is, to a degree, right about false honor in war. In our country, military service is a choice, but why would anyone choose to risk their life in war. Yes, some could join because they have the patriotic urge and that is fine, but what about those who join for other reasons. Like the boys in the novel, many people who join the military are convinced to do so by the benefits that come with service. However, what about the consequences. A well known condition gained by many veterans is PTSD. This condition has horrible effects for its victim and has the ability to not only hurt them, but lead to other horrible incidents. I once heard the story of a man who gained PTSD while serving in the Army and woke up to his hear his dog barking. He jumped out of bed and strangled his dog till he nearly killed it. When asked why he did this he said that all he could think about was how he was supposed to kill a dog in combat if it barked, if he didn’t it meant being found by the enemy.

It is important that we recognize these important lessons. Conflict is often caused for horrible reasons and it is destructive to everyone involved, bringing true honor to only a few. If we are going to learn anything from what has been talked about we should keep in mind two things. Is what we are fighting for right? And will we cause more harm than good? As long as we ask ourselves these two questions we can make the world around us a safer place.