The world is always changing, and it is only the people who acquire and unite both internal and external peace who can stay true to themselves through all the vicissitudes with which they are presented. In A Separate Peace by John Knowles, a young man named Leper struggles with obtaining and maintaining peace both within himself and among his friendly companions. As the United States increases its involvement in World War II, boys from high schools all over the country are pulled into the army to fight for their nation. Leper’s whole life is transformed when he enlists in the Ski Troops and he is forced to develop his character as he undergoes the rigors of basic training which contrast starkly with his peaceful life at prep school in New Hampshire. …show more content…
While at Devon School, Leper was content to be on the periphery of his friend group because he had a formidable sense of internal peace and harmony. Though he had every opportunity to try to fit in with his peers and plenty of free time to participate in activities with them, Leper went out of his way to stay in solitude, because he, unlike the others, found pleasure in being alone. When Finny created the highly competitive game Blitzball Leper turned down the opportunity to take part and form a stronger friendship with his peers. Even when the narrator Gene simply tried to make an amiable gesture by passing the ball to Leper, “Taken by surprise, Leper looked up in anguish, shrank away from the ball and voiced his first thought, a typical one, ‘I don’t want it!’” (39). The sole thought of engaging in the liveliness put Leper in a state of “anguish” because although he was internally peaceful, all balance was lost when an external factor interfered. This situation was not uncommon for Leper; instead it was rather “typical,” demonstrating that Leper constantly bent over backwards in an effort to maintain his internal harmony by staying on the outskirts of his circle of …show more content…
After he was discharged from basic training and returned to his home in Vermont Leper’s first plan of action is to get back in touch with peers from Devon. He was desperate to communicate with them immediately to remind himself how at-ease he was before joining the war effort and sent 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 he had “escaped” from training Leper put across the idea that the short time he was gone was spent in utter misery and it was crucial for him to relocate. Additionally, he mentioned his “safety” being at hand, and by this likely means his mental safety because his previously-sound mind was derailed with all the time spent alone. It was also important to note that naming Gene as his “Best Friend” put forth the idea that Leper was in need of company and consolation. He was never very close to Gene and acted as more of an acquaintance than a friend. Although Leper could not relate to his coequals much when he was with them at Devon, during the war preparations Leper was even more distanced from his associates and felt much more that he