Published in 1959, A Separate Peace by John Knowles follows the friendship of two boys, Gene and Finny, as they transition from adolescence to adulthood in the midst of World War II. However, other students at Devon are deeply affected by the war including a boy named Leper. Leper is a dreamy boy who spends his days contemplating about nature and how certain animals adapt to their surroundings. From his perceptions and observations, he concludes that “everything has to evolve or else it perishes” (125). Through Leper’s transition of character throughout the novel, he proves that beings who cannot evolve eventually perish. Leper’s refusal to play blitzball conveys that he is not interested in the thought of combat or war whatsoever. During the summer session, Finny invents a game called blitzball after criticizing the school’s athletics program. Blitzball is a portmanteau for blitzkrieg, a German word that refers to the attacking armies moving very quickly and overrunning lines of defence with large bursts of force, and ball. Finny also decides that there should not be teams and the only objective is to get the ball past the river. When Gene carries the ball, he spots “Leper Lepellier… loping along outside my perimeter, not noticing the game, tagging along without reason, like a porpoise escorting a passing ship” (38). Most animals are peaceful creatures and only become aggressive if provoked. Leper’s interest in nature is suggested …show more content…
Leper used to be a boy who hated all things war-related and was only interested in nature and how animals adapted. After the war propaganda, however, he enlists, to everyone’s surprise. However, he cannot cope with war and comes back broken and bitter. Leper was not able to adapt to the situation he put himself into and perished. The life and characteristics that he had before enlisting were very different from what he had