Assignment #9 (138-151): 4.) Since Leper is “section 8” (“for nuts in the service”), explore the irony of Leper’s statement “always were a savage unde

In chapter 10, when Gene goes to Leper's house in Vermont, he sees Leper's transformation. Leper has gone from a peaceful naturalist to a moody, insane, "psycho" young man. Leper first accuses Gene of causing Finny's fall (p. 145), and then states that he was "always a savage underneath. (p. 145)" Leper's symbol in the book has changed drastically. He was the symbol of calm and peace. The new, post-war Leper is a lunatic. That is the reason he was given a "Section 8 Discharge", for the "nut cases". An example of his craziness is on page 145 when he accused Gene. When Gene kicks him to the ground he keeps laughing and crying. Another time is on page 149 ("Would they bother you if you did.........would they bother you.") He is thinking of the image of an arm of a chair being a human arm. The final time in the chapter when he is bonkers is on pages 150-151. He just can stop spewing out the gory details of the army. It is as if he is just talking without knowing. Even when Gene tells him to shut up and leaves him, he is still talking to himself. Leper has now emerged as a new figure in the book. The crazy toll the war takes on everyone.

Answer 2 or 3 of these questions:

Will Leper be cured?

Will Leper and Gene ever be friends again?

Is Leper going to tell everyone about the truth of Finny's fall?

What is Leper a symbol of now in your opinion?

Will this affect the reality of the war to Gene?

Chapter 10: Why might the mention of Brinker trigger Leper’s violent reaction? Think about what you know about role so far.

The reason that Leper broke down into sobs when Gene brought up Brinker's head on a woman's body was because the idea went against the idealistic views that Leper has in his head. It reminded him of an incident in the army that ended up getting him discharged for a mental illness. The same mind that always appreciated the perfection in trees and beaver dams couldn't handle such a backwards thought as a mans head on a woman's body, so he just broke down. This was the reason that Leper couldn't handle being in the army. Once he starteed realizing that war is not all just skiing around, and that there are some harsh realities that one has to face, he says "Everything began to be inside out." (P. 150). He begins wondering "Am I [psycho], though, or is it the army?" (P. 150), which shows that he's questioning the army's diagnosis of him.

I think the reason Leper saw weird things in the army, and not at Devon, is because he was comfortable at Devon. When he went to the army, everything became tougher and more stressful than back at Devon, and that made him nervous. This nervousness made him imagine things, which made him more nervous, completing a vicious circle. In the end, he had a series of big hallucinations, which he handled by screaming as loud as he could, and thats what got him kicked out of the army. Do you think leaving the army was best for Leper? Do you think that if Leper returns to Devon, he'll stop hallucinating?