Assignment 9 Question 2 Julia Burnett

Explore the difference between what ‘escape’ means to Gene as opposed to what it means to Leper (see usage in context on the middle of page 143).

Gene thinks that when Leper says he escaped it means he had broken free of enemies hold, however Leper believes that "escape" means he ran away before being discharged, as he could see he wasn't fit for the Army physically or emotionally. Gene, along with most of the other boys at Devon, idolize the Army and the soldiers in it, therefore, they believe that the life of a soldier must be filled with glory and special privileges, not something one would want to avoid. As Gene pontificates on the meaning of Leper's telegram while traveling to his house, he says " You didn't "escape" from the Army, so he must have escaped from something else. The most logical thing a soldier escapes from is danger, death, the enemy... And the only enemies in this country would be spies. Leper had escaped from spies" (Knowles 140). Although when Gene arrived at Leper's house he learned that he escaped from a possible discharge that would have tarnished his reputation. Leper, who later admits to having hallucinations and adjustment issues during training camp, means that he escaped from the production line mentality of the Army. As Gene described him when he told him he had escaped he said it, "in a voice and intensity that was not Leper's. His face was furious, but his eyes denied the fury; instead they saw it before them. They were filled with terror" (Knowles 143). This terror was not only of his rebellious actions but his disrespectful feelings toward authorities in the Army. He called himself a psycho, a word he was labeled as in the Army which makes him question the system, saying, "And the perfect word for me, psycho. I guess I am. I must be. Am I, though, or is it the army? Because they turned everything inside out" (Knowles 150). When Leper says he "escaped" from the army, he means that he broke free from the generalized, impersonal tactics that they used. This misunderstanding between Leper and Gene shows the maturity gap between students and men in the army, and the naivety of the boys who think the army brings glory with little effort.