A Tree Branch: A Bridge & A Separate Peace

   Some years ago, John Knowles' novel, A Separate Peace, was standard reading for high school students. The book dealt with adolescent behavior, and the reasons, or non-reasons, for their impulsive behavior. Anyone who is trying to understand the motivation for a girl's pushing her "friend" from a bridge may find an uncanny parallel to how Phinney fell from a tree when a "friend" inexplicably jostled the branch he was standing on. The consequences were disastrous for all involved.