<P> Gene Forrester , the protagonist , returns to his old prep school , Devon ( a thinly veiled portrayal of Knowles ' alma mater , Phillips Exeter Academy ) , fifteen years after he graduated to visit two places he regards as `` fearful sites '' : a flight of marble stairs and a tree by the river that he caused his friend , Phineas , to fall out of . First , he examines the stairs and notices that they are made of very hard marble . He then goes to the tree , which brings back memories of Gene 's time as a student at Devon . From this point , the novel follows Gene 's description of the time span from the summer of 1942 to the summer of 1943 . In 1942 , he was 16 and living at Devon with his best friend and roommate , Phineas ( nicknamed Finny ) . At the time , World War II is taking place and has a prominent effect on the story . </P>
<P> Gene Forrester , the protagonist , returns to his old prep school , Devon ( a thinly veiled portrayal of Knowles ' alma mater , Phillips Exeter Academy ) , fifteen years after he graduated to visit two places he regards as `` fearful sites '' : a flight of marble stairs and a tree by the river that he caused his friend , Phineas , to fall out of . First , he examines the stairs and notices that they are made of very hard marble . He then goes to the tree , which brings back memories of Gene 's time as a student at Devon . From this point , the novel follows Gene 's description of the time span from the summer of 1942 to the summer of 1943 . In 1942 , he was 16 and living at Devon with his best friend and roommate , Phineas ( nicknamed Finny ) . At the time , World War II is taking place and has a prominent effect on the story . </P>
who jumped from the tree in a separate peace
who jumped from the tree in a separate peace
Phineas
Phineas