After returning from a section eight discharge, it is evident throughout the chapter that Leper has gone crazy. Although Leper had always been the more quiet, innocent person out of the three, Knowles picks Leper as the character to go crazy to try to give the reader a sense of how much war can change someone. Although he has always stood out to be different, this unique characteristic of Leper being able to see reality better than almost anyone else just outlines the fact that he is one that is not to be overlooked. This sense of reality comes crashing down on both Finny and Gene in this chapter. Throughout the novel, Finny and Gene have been living in a fantasized world, where war does not exist. Even when Leper had decided to enlist, Finny wanted to believe that the war was not going on so badly, that he was okay with lying to himself to get there. Once Gene had shown signs of enlisting as well, Finny wanted Gene to stay with him so badly that he made up a story about war not existing to put him in this make believe world as well.
Since Leper is a symbolism for the reality of war, him being back creates tension between Finny and Gene’s friendship. Once he has returned, Finny and Gene are able to have a new understanding about the war going on. As stated on page 163, “And you told me about Leper, that he’s gone crazy. That’s the word; we might as well admit it. Leper’s gone crazy. When I heard that about Leper, I knew that the war was real, this war and all the wars.” This triggers the conversation about if Gene really did push Finny out of the tree, now that they are both being honest with each other, as it says on page 164: “Anyway,” Finny said, “ then I knew there was a real war on.” “Yes, I guess it’s a real war all right, but I liked yours better.”
Some questions I thought of for further discussion are: What do you think, in your own words, Leper represents? Do you think that this has changed throughout the novel? If so, how? Another question I thought of was: What do you think Gene and Finny symbolize? Do you think that this has/will change over time as the characters mature?
I think that Leper represents the truth. He shows that the war is there and is real as ever. When he comes back, everyone realizes how much he has changed, and what the war can do to somebody. It impacts him so much, that it seems like he is a whole new person. In court, when Leper tells what happened the night Finny got hurt, it was completely different from how Finny described it. He used to be the guy that tried to stay out of things, but now he has pretty much gone crazy. Leper is only saying what should be said, the truth, and that is exactly what he is.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Leper represents the harshness and reality of war. What Leper symbolizes has changed throughout the novel. At the beginning of the novel Leper represented innocence and peace. He was not a major character. Now Leper is the center of attention and represents the reality of war. Leper being back at the school will scare others from enlisting because they will be afraid they will turn out like him. He shows the students and teachers what war really does to a person. Although war has harmed Leper, it has also made him more aware of others and of the world around him. How do you think the teachers will act to Leper being crazy?
ReplyDeleteI agree that Leper is a symbol for the harshness and truth in the war, and he is a symbol for the truth in life. I also think (though this is extremely ironic) that he represents the only sane/ down to earth person at devon. If you look past the fact that is he is mentally insane, his insight on Gene being a savage and intentionally harming Finny, or how he feels about Brinker being a terrible person or as he said a "bastard," are the only thoughts that I feel make sense and i can agree with. Everything he says other people at Devon aren't able to see, even though they are completely true. So in a way, his insanity makes him see the truth more, which makes him the only person that knows the truth.
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