How Did Elwin Leper's Life Changed

of the novel A Separate Peace written by John Knowles, Gene begins by describing that he started to believe Finny's theory about fat old men causing rumors about war. The war seemed even more unrealistic to Gene now that Leper decided to enlist. Leper’s choice to enlist rather than wait a few weeks to be drafted had to do with being able to pick his service instead of being assigned to one. Brinker, Gene, and Chet wondered if Leper could be heroic, however Finny decided to stay out of the jokes.

training and returns to his home in Vermont, Leper’s first plan of action is to get back in touch with peers from Devon. He is desperate to communicate with them immediately to remind himself how at-ease he was before joining the war effort. He sends Gene a pleading note reading, “I HAVE ESCAPED AND NEED HELP. I AM AT CHRISTMAS LOCATION. YOU UNDERSTAND. NO NEED TO RISK ADDRESS HERE. MY SAFETY DEPENDS ON YOU COMING AT ONCE. (signed) YOUR BEST FRIEND, ELWIN LEPER LEPELLIER” (137). By stressing that

people, who are always either leaving or on leave. (32) This is what Gene stands for in the story of A Separate Peace. Gene appears to omnisciently understand the reality of war and how it effects people. Throughout the entire story Gene is used to bring in the destructive reality of war into the everyday life at Devon High School where there is an attempt to create, and exist in, a separate peace. There is however quite an opposition to this reality-known by Gene-that is headed by Gene's best