Leper Lepelliers Functions As A Minor Character :: essays research papers

Upon returning to his school fifteen years after graduating, Gene Forrester, recalled his days at the Devon School in a surreal sense. In his own words, In the deep, tacit way in which feeling becomes stronger than thought, I had always felt that the Devon School came into existence the day I entered it, was vibrantly real while I was a student there, and then blinked out like a candle the day I left. Helping embellish this truth were his friends, including Leper Lepellier, who appeared in only five scenes in A Separate Peace. Elwin Leper Lepelliers role as a minor character was vital to the story, although not well-nigh as visible as Genes or Finnys. His appearances stole the attention of the reader, altered each characters own perceptions of the war, and forced the of import character to act and think in ways he would not have otherwise.Chapter Tens journey to Lepers Christmas location is a elusion away from Devon both physically and emotionally. Leper steals the scene by invit ing Gene to his home, proceeding to unsettle the reader to the extent that he cannot concentrate on the other characters. tranquillise and subdued, Leper spent much of his time outdoors, sketching snails and trees, photographing beaver dams. He was what Brinker so scornfully called a naturalist. This gentle hobby extracted virtually no enkindle from the reader, besides a knowledge of Lepers eccentric and lonely personality. Because he predictably behaved this way, reading the few tortured pages of his hallucinations in the army elicits strong emotion and reader interest Finny and the Devon group of friends were insignificant compared to the horrific images Leper conjured in the readers mind. Gene felt the same emotions as the reader Dont tell me whos got me and who hasnt got me. Who do you think youre talking to? Stick to your snails, Lepellier. Shocked at what his friend has become, Gene mentions his naturalistic manner, hoping to straighten him out. At this point, the reader is as helpless as Gene, wondering why Leper has changed, what the hallucinations mean, and most importantly, what will happen to between them in the pages to come. Leper also directs the reader back to Finnys accident, pointing a conscience-smitten finger at Gene when he says he and everyone he knew were all savages underneath. When Gene finally runs out of Vermont and away from Lepers insanity, the reader now has some other view on Finnys accident.