In the novel, A Separate Peace, John Knowles makes a text-to-world connection in order to further enhance the reader’s insight. By having the story occur during World War II, the reader is able to relate the historical facts of the time to the fictional facts in the tale. With allusions to events in the Pacific, the author allows the reader to use their background knowledge to understand the emotions of the young boys during the war. Events such as the dropping of the atomic bomb and strategies such as island-hopping give concrete details to the fictional novel and allow the reader to relate on a deeper level with the characters and better understand the author’s message.
A text-to-world connection is also provided when Leper is described as being “psycho.” When Leper joined the army, he was not expecting the blunt brutality of war and the shock was too much for his system. He soon develops a mental illness and is described as crazy and psycho. This illness came be termed as post traumatic stress and is seen to have occurred in many soldiers during World War II and even today. When the reader reads of Leper’s illness they are able to relate to Leper’s character more because the illness that he has suffered from still causes soldiers to suffer today.
The connections you made are wonderful. Your first text-to-world connection is great as World War II was such a prevalent aspect of the characters’ lives at Devon School, but I especially like your second connection. I never really took into account the many soldiers of that time who suffered from post traumatic stress while ready the book and how ubiquitous it was among World War II veterans. This connection makes the reality of the war in the book seem much more apparent.
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