A Separate Peace is told as a flashback by Gene Forrester. He returns to Devon, a private preparatory school that he had attended during World War II. He visits his old alma mater to specifically visit two spots on and near campus: the First Building and a tree beside the Devon River. His visit triggers a flashback to his experiences during the summer session when he was sixteen years old and an Upper Middler. The …showed first 75 words of 1055 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1055 total…responding, but tries to convince him he has no personal hatred. Later in the day Finny dies of complications from the new break in the leg. The doctor says that some of the marrow had migrated into his blood stream. Amazingly, Gene does not cry over Finny's death; he knows that he is too numb for tears. He also feels that he has died with Finny, and one does not cry over one's own death.