Line #4 YMMV/ASeparatePeace


1	* AccidentalInnuendo: Devon, a boys-only boarding school, has a specific location in which students are permitted to smoke--called the Butt Room. This is referring to ''cigarette'' butts, of course, but in a book rife with HomoeroticSubtext, one would be forgiven for thinking it's referring to [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything something else]]. The fact that Gene (the character implied to be the most [[ArmoredClosetGay sexually]] [[{{Gayngst}} confused]]) is noted to spend a lot of time there doesn't help anything.
2	* {{Adorkable}}: Leper is a mild-tempered, glasses-wearing boy who loves animals and nature. Unfortunately, this trope is no longer applicable after he...[[spoiler:loses his mind]].
3	* AlternateAesopInterpretation: Some people view the book's aesop as "hurting other people is okay so long as you become a better person for it afterwards." It should be noted that this is the exact opposite of the aesop as it is generally interpreted, which is that there are no true enemies in the world, and we create enemies for ourselves due to ignorance. Thus, we hurt others only because of a flaw within ourselves, and we should promote pacifism rather than violence. [[WordOfGod John Knowles]] clarifies this in an interview:
4	--> '''John Knowles:''' [[[spoiler:Knocking Finny out of the tree]] is the beginning] of facing up to [Gene's] own nature. The enemy he kills, of course, is his own self-ignorance, not [[spoiler:Phineas]].
5	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
6	** The most common one: Is Gene and Finny's relationship just [[HeterosexualLifePartners a strong bond created by two dedicated best friends,]] or is it [[HoYay charged with]] [[HomoeroticSubtext homoeroticism?]]
7	** Finny is either a good guy, a normal kid seen through the eyes of [[UnreliableNarrator Gene]], or a bad guy who was just awesomely crazy.
8	** And also concerning Finny: Exactly how much [[spoiler:internal pain]] was he hiding? How much of his charismatic, happy-go-lucky behavior was real, and how much was him being a [[spoiler:StepfordSmiler]]?
9	** Is Leper [[spoiler:[[SanitySlippage a nice guy who loses his mind]]]] or a [[spoiler:[[BreakTheCutie naive kid who grows to understand the craziness of the world]]]]?
10	* AngelDevilShipping: Gene/Finny. Finny is an [[TheIdealist idealistic]], fun-loving rebel whose [[TheCharmer charm]] and athletic talent [[BigManOnCampus make him legendary to his class]]. Gene is a [[TheCynic cynical]] [[TheSmartGuy intellectual]] driven by competitiveness and [[GreenEyedMonster jealousy]]. It helps that Finny and Gene are compared, respectively, to [[spoiler:Jesus and Judas]], as well as to [[spoiler:CainAndAbel]]. Even after Finny is revealed to be a [[spoiler:StepfordSmiler]], members of the fandom generally agree he's less messed up than Gene.
11	* AngstWhatAngst: Finny is still his optimistic, humorous self after he [[spoiler:breaks his leg and becomes unable to play sports ever again]], even though sports are his passion. However, this is most likely a [[StepfordSmiler facade]], considering his ''serious'' [[spoiler:denial about Gene causing the incident]] and [[spoiler:breakdown]] near the end of the book.
12	* {{Anvilicious}}: Blitzball is an allegory for war--the players compete ferociously, everyone is each other's enemy, and nobody ever wins. Thankfully the book doesn't dwell on this and the whole scene is still pretty funny.
13	* {{Applicability}}: This book has been subject to ''many'' interpretations by readers, pretty much all of which can be considered valid. These include but are not limited to:
14	** The book is about adolescence, specifically the feelings of euphoria, rebellion, and innocence involved, as well as the gradual loss of that innocence as one makes their way into maturity and adulthood. This particular interpretation is somewhat indisputable.
15	** Another indisputable interpretation, due to how overt it is: The book is about war, peace, and the role human ignorance plays in both of these concepts. It also deals with the idea that we only make enemies out of each other because of flaws in ourselves.
16	** The book is about the consequences of emotional repression (in some interpretations, this is also connected to the idea of toxic masculinity). Gene attempts to stay as [[TheStoic stoic]] as possible because boys during this time period are taught [[MenDontCry guys who display their feelings]] [[RealMenHateAffection aren't "real men."]] His extreme bottled-up jealousy and self-loathing leads to a [[spoiler:tragic act of violence against his best friend, which indirectly causes said friend's death]].
17	** The book is a retelling of various stories from Literature/TheBible: Adam and Eve (with Finny as the former and Gene as the latter), [[spoiler:Jesus and Judas]] (with Finny as the former and Gene as the latter), [[spoiler:CainAndAbel]] (with Gene as the former and Finny as the latter), etc. Most of these interpretations revolve around the book's themes of lost innocence and Gene's [[spoiler:betrayal]].
18	** The book is about homosexuality. It's worth noting this interpretation usually combines with the "consequences of emotional repression" interpretation described above. There's a massive amount of HomoeroticSubtext in the book as a whole, and Gene's obsession with Finny often seems to go beyond the typical best friend bond. In addition, practically every event in the book [[UnreliableNarrator (since so many of them are left ambiguous regarding Gene's feelings and motives)]] can be perceived as connected to Gene's potential homosexuality without it seeming like a stretch.
19	** The book is about the dangers of codependency. Beyond their close friendship, [[LivingEmotionalCrutch Gene and Finny actually seem to]] ''[[LivingEmotionalCrutch need]]'' [[LivingEmotionalCrutch each other]] in their lives, and their relationship ultimately leads to [[spoiler:one of their deaths]]. People who support this interpretation also tend to believe that Gene [[spoiler:knocked Finny out of the tree]] to ''force'' codependency because he thought Finny didn't need him as much as he needed Finny.
20	* AudienceAwarenessAdvantage: Some readers say that Finny is stupid to trust Gene. By this point, most readers are aware Gene is an UnreliableNarrator who is extremely uncomfortable with his own identity and constantly lies to other characters as a result. Although Finny is certainly naive, it's important to remember that Gene may possibly be a ConsummateLiar in-story, and the two of them are [[LivingEmotionalCrutch living emotional crutches.]]
21	* BaseBreakingCharacter:
22	** Gene. Those who like him see him as a troubled boy who is inwardly kind but doesn't know how to express his emotions, thus resorting to the extreme repression that results in a violent outburst. Those who don't like him see him as a whiny, obsessive borderline [[TheSociopath sociopath.]]
23	** Brinker as well. Those who like him say he was just trying to do the right thing during the "trial," pointing out that he couldn't have possibly known the consequences of holding it. On the contrary, those who don't like him say his nosiness essentially [[spoiler:killed Finny]].
24	* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: During the film version of the "trial," the boys sing "Hitler Has Only Got One Ball" to their own tune for no apparent reason.
25	* FauxSymbolism: Most things in this book are considered extremely symbolic, and often ''blatantly'' symbolic as well. However, oddly, [[WordOfGod John Knowles]] stated he included no intentional symbolism other than the two rivers near the Devon School.
26	* HardToAdaptWork: The book centers around the presence of emotions that are largely implied or repressed, which does not bode well for a film adaptation. The two film adaptations that were made unsurprisingly received mixed to poor reviews. Since it's incredibly difficult for a movie to capture the underlying tensions in character relationships and atmosphere, the rather mundane plot becomes almost banal.
27	* MemeticMutation: The incredible amount of HoYay between Gene and Finny has become this in itself, especially to modern readers.
28	* PeripheryDemographic: Since the book is about teenagers in an all-boys boarding school, the TargetAudience is, unsurprisingly, teenage boys. However, [[WordOfGod John Knowles]] has stated that interestingly, he has received more fan letters from girls than boys.
29	* PlatonicWritingRomanticReading: It's ''extremely'' common for readers to interpret Gene and Finny as gay. It's not surprising, since the two are incredibly close and seem to love each other beyond what typically makes up a platonic friendship. However, when asked about this, John Knowles gave what seemed to be WordOfStraight.
30	* SignatureScene: The scene in which Gene [[spoiler:jounces the branch, knocking Finny out of the tree]].
31	* TearJerker: The entire book, to some extent, but a special mention goes specifically to the last segment of the book, from the "trial" onward. The book has some funny, wholesome moments, but there's a constant undercurrent of loss, longing, and just overall sorrow.
32	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: How a lot of people feel about the 2004 movie, which changed multiple major aspects of the book and significantly expanded upon or reduced the roles of several side characters.

Context YMMV / ASeparatePeace