A Separate Peace

3 Pages 817 Words

From Innocence To Experience
The novel “a Separate Peace” is greatly dedicated to the adolescent years of ones life. For the duration of these often confusing year’s people make catastrophic mistakes. These gaffes are primarily believed to be vast setbacks in our lives yet ultimately improve ourselves and give us a better understanding of who we are. The characters in this book are used to exemplify this.
Elwin Lepellier, a.k.a leper, is a character in “a Separate Peace” who underwent adolescent changes. Quiet and shy; leper is most comfortable when by himself and takes pleasure in exploring the world solo, as he does when he skis to the beaver dam. He maybe a loner because he breaks down under pressure, which often times embarrasses him. When provoked by Finny to jump from the tree he froze. When the ball was pitched to him during a game of blitzball he refuses it. When faced with the strenuous basic training encountered in the army, leper suffers from a mental breakdown and flees from the army. This is the catalyst, which causes a change in leper. His breakdown blurs his reasoning but at the same time sharpens his insight. This is made clear by his accusatory remarks towards Gene about “the incident” and the surprisingly powerful testimony at the mock trial. It is leper’s testimony that sends Finny to his indirect death.
The main character in the book, Gene Forrester, has the most apparent change in the novel. In the beginning of the novel, Gene’s innocence represents a childlike contentment in conformity. Gene is able to attain a comfortable, predictable, unthreatening lifestyle through hard work and following the rules. Finny defies Gene’s former lifestyle and challenges him to experience life and resist rules. With Finny, Gene embarks on a new life liberated from humdrum routines imposed on him by adults. This new friend has yanked Gene out of his former self into an unbounded world which...