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The Tree
Finny’s fall from the tree and the seasonal transition from summer to fall mark the novel’s main points of change. During the summer session, the boys enjoy a time of carefree youthful adventure. When the summer session ends and fall and winter come, though, everything changes: Devon returns to its strict disciplinary ways, and the threat of having to fight in World War II darkens everyone’s consciousness. The novel’s other main “fall”—Finny’s fall from the tree—has much the same effect. With that fall, the joy of childhood that Finny himself symbolized disappears, and the boys’ different reactions to the fall help define who they’ll be as adults. In both cases, the characters undergo a loss of innocence and simplicity, one that is embodied by the changing seasons and Finny’s tragic accident.
Fall (Autumn) and Finny's Fall Quotes in A Separate Peace
The A Separate Peace quotes below all refer to the symbol of Fall (Autumn) and Finny's Fall. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 4
Quotes
Holding firmly to the trunk, I took a step toward him, and then my knees bent and I jounced the limb. Finny, his balance gone, swung his head around to look at me for an instant with extreme interest, and then he tumbled sideways, broke through the little branches below and hit the bank with a sickening, unnatural thud. It was the first clumsy physical action I had ever seen him make. With unthinking sureness I moved out on the limb and jumped into the river, every trace of my fear of this forgotten.
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Chapter 6
Quotes
Across the hall […] where Leper Lepellier had dreamed his way through July and August amid sunshine and dust motes and windows through which the ivy had reached tentatively into the room, here Brinker Hadley had established his headquarters. Emissaries were already dropping in to confer with him.
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Chapter 7
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In the same way the war, beginning almost humorously with announcements about [no more] maids and days spent at apple-picking, commenced its invasion of the school.
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Fall (Autumn) and Finny's Fall Symbol Timeline in A Separate Peace
The timeline below shows where the symbol Fall (Autumn) and Finny's Fall appears in A Separate Peace. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 4
...instant as Finny twirls around to look at Gene, wearing an expression of intrigue before falling off the branch and landing on the bank with a gut-wrenching sound. Fearlessly, Gene jumps...
(full context)
Chapter 5
...should have to face such pain and hardship. Though nobody accuses Gene of causing the fall, he wonders if he purposefully made Finny lose his balance by shaking the limb. Alone...
(full context)
...the two boys before Gene suddenly breaks it, asking if Finny remembers what made him fall. In response, Finny speaks with uncharacteristic confusion, ultimately—in a long, discursive way—implying that Gene may...
(full context)
...the tree branch move, Gene stands and loudly states that he was responsible for Finny’s fall. Calmly, Finny informs him that he’ll hit him if he doesn’t sit down and stop...
(full context)
Whether or not Gene meant to cause Finny’s fall, he realizes that it will hurt Finny even more if he knows that this is...
(full context)
Chapter 6
...because he has decided to be the assistant crew manager. On his way, he sees the Devon River and thinks of Finny, though he’s actually headed toward the Naguamsett River, which the Devon...
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Chapter 7
...everyone understands he’s joking. Just when he’s about to explain how he caused Finny to fall, though, he stops, unable to go on.
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As Autumn progresses, Gene is relieved that none of his fellow students say anything more about him...
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Chapter 10
...been something ugly lurking at his core. This, Leper says, is why Gene caused Finny’s fall.
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Chapter 11
...strong as it was before, though he mentions that Dr. Stanpole emphasized the importance not falling again. Still, he says he’s quite careful.
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...When Leper arrives, Brinker asks him to describe what he saw the day of Finny’s fall, and Leper states that, though the sun was in his eyes, he knows for a...
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