Thursday, February 15, 2018

Why does Leper signing up for the war make the war seem more unrealistic to Finny? A. Leper does not have the training or strength for the war B.The war truly is not real to Leper C. Leper has always advocated for peace D. Leper always planned on getting his degree

Option A seems to be the closest explanation for why Finny thinks Leper's involvement in the war makes the war seem unrealistic. World War II serves as a backdrop for Knowles's A Separate Peace, but the war creeps gradually into our main characters' lives as the story progresses. Finny is described as the most athletic and physically graceful of the boys at Devon. However, he is critically injured in an accident (that perhaps his best friend Gene engineered or caused) and cannot participate in the war. World War II was a time when citizens felt it was their duty to contribute in some way to the war effort. Finny would have been an excellent soldier, yet he cannot fight. This fact makes the war unreal to him. Further, the school's distance from the front, its relatively peaceful and idyllic setting, and the young age of its pupils who cannot yet enlist add to the sense of surrealism. However, when Leper enlists, the war seems even absurd. Leper is somewhat shy and doesn't seem preoccupied with asserting his masculinity to his classmates the way some of the other boys do. He could be described as "peaceful," so option C would also work as an answer to this question. I choose A, though, because I think that Leper's enlistment is utterly unlikely; he seems like the least prepared or open to participate in war. His choice to join the army is ironic when you consider that other of the more traditionally masculine, aggressive students like Brinker, do not act similarly (despite proclamations to the contrary). It makes sense that Leper deserts and suffers from severe PTSD in the aftermath of his war experiences.

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