When someone mentions the words "morality" or "moral rules," one might think of following a code of chastity, but that isn't really the topic at hand in John Knowles's book. As far as "moral rules" are concerned in A Separate Peace, it's all about what is perceived as right vs. wrong when it comes to following the rules at school and rules for life. And life at that time was the war. For example, the boys must follow specific rules if they want to continue attending Devon. Next, the pressure is on all of these boys to conform to society by doing one's duty for the war effort. For them, it means enlisting right after graduation, or within one year's time. Finally, there's pressure if a boy doesn't measure up to the rules.
First, the rules of conformity at Devon school couldn't be stricter, unless your name is Phineas and it is the summer session. For some reason, probably because of his charm, Phineas gets away with bending the rules at school, and this is part of what causes Gene to envy him. The following explains how Phineas is permitted to bend the rules:
"The Devon faculty had never before experienced a student who combined a calm ignorance of the rules with a winning urge to be good, who seemed to love the school truly and deeply, and never more than when he was breaking the regulations, a model boy who was most comfortable in the truant's corner. The faculty threw up its hands over Phineas, and so loosened its grip on all of us" (23).
Since it is summer session, and the faculty probably wish they were at the beach, they let Phineas get away with bending a few rules. Some rules aren't worth fighting over. However, when someone questions a man's pride or courage, look out! These boys have pressure to fulfill their duty in the war and that is not a moral code to break. The following is the type of pressure the boys face at the end of their senior year, when parents such as Mr. Hadley expect conformity to social duty:
"I can't imagine any man in my time settling for duty on a sewing machine. . . But then times change, and wars change. But men don't change, do they? You boys are the image of me and my gang in the old days. It does me good to see you. What are you enlisting in, son. . . the Marines, the Paratroops? There are doggone many exciting things to enlist in these days. . . I'd give something to be a kid again with all that to choose from" (198-199).
If a boy answered Mr. Hadley with, "I'd like to work on the sewing machines," he would give that boy a dirty look and probably call him a pansy. No boy wants to be emasculated, so the pressure to prove their manhood is only acquired by enlisting in the military.
Finally, there's Leper, who does fail after enlisting in the army because he goes AWOL (absent without leave) and loses his mind in the process. Soldiers who go crazy, and can't fulfill their duties, are given a Section Eight discharge, which is not considered honorable. Leper explains his concerns about his failure as follows:
"A Section Eight discharge is for the nuts of the service, the psychos, the Funny Farm candidates. . . You can't get a job after that. Everybody wants to see your discharge, and when they see a Section Eight they look at you kind of funny" (144).
Therefore, the moral rules in A Separate Peace center around succeeding in school and succeeding in the war. It's the right thing to do! It's the patriotic thing to do! Much of the plot centers around following the right code of ethics in order to come of age and become a man. Without these moral codes to follow, there wouldn't be the pressure or tension in the plot that moves it forward in an interesting way.
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