Question

"So the war swept over like a wave at the seashore, gathering power and size as it bore on us, overwhelming in its rush, seemingly inescapable, and then at the last moment eluded by a word from Phineas; I had simply ducked, that was all, and the wave's concentrated power had hurtled harmlessly overhead."

Explain.

Answer 1

This quote of Gene Forrester shows how disillusioned and unrealistic his belief about the great war is.

Step-by-step explanation:

The given quote is spoken by Gene Forrester in chapter 8 of the book A Separate Peace by John Knowles. The given lines show the disparity of the boys' world and the reality of the world. Amidst the war that was going on in the outside world, the boys are rather more concerned about their rivalry and academic life.

In the given passage, Gene compares World War II with that of an ocean wave, "gathering power and size". But this shows just how trivial the war seems to him, without realizing the severity of the situation. Their location in Devon was unfazed by the war which had ravaged other parts of the nation. It has "eluded" them, and that it had gone away, without any need to worry about it's return. Gene also expressed his belief that even though the war had hurled "harmlessly overhead, no doubt throwing others roughly up on the beach, but leaving me peaceably treading water as before", he believes that there is no more harm coming. He did not believe "another even larger and more powerful" wave will follow the one that they have just eluded.