Assignment 10 Question 3 Katie

Katie Massie

Leper’s return to Devon represents to Gene that the truth will come out. Not only because Gene knows that Leper almost definitely remembered everything that happened with the tree, but also because Gene wasn’t entirely honest in his descriptions of Leper to Brinker. He didn’t blatantly lie, but he let Brinker believe that Leper was just being a wimp, that he got frightened and ran home. This is true, but it’s not as pathetic as Brinker thinks. There is so much happening with Leper that Gene leaves out. This could be because he didn’t want to say something embarrassing to Leper, which he was right to not do, but I feel he is making others trust him less when he gives them the wrong image.

The impact that Leper’s return has on Gene and Finny is that they have a conversation with each other about trust and who to believe. It is a very important scene in the book, because Finny is some one is skeptical of a lot of things in his life, but he tells Gene that he has to believe him. Finny tells Gene that if Gene says something is true, Finny will take it as fact. He says, “But I do believe – it’s important after all for me to believe you. Christ, I’ve got to believe you, at least. I know you better than anybody.” (Knowles 163). This is a very important scene because it finalizes Gene and Finny’s closeness right before they are about to be publicly tested in front of a large crowd of people they have known for many years. It’s the moment that their friendship has been building up to throughout the book, where all their time spent together is going to be tested.

Assignment #10 Question #2 Victor

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).

When Gene Forrester hears of Leper’s “escape”, he thinks of Leper and his nerved-wrecked character and naturally concludes that he has escaped from danger. What type of danger does not puzzle him one bit either, he mentions “Since Leper hadn’t been overseas the enemy must have been in his country. And the only enemies in this country would be spies” (Knowles 140). This is a great example of Gene’s very straight narrow mind. He does not consider Leper, possibly being injured, hurt, or in this case mentally unstable. When Gene arrives at Leper’s, he learns the horible truth about Leper’s Section 8 discharge. He doesn’t understand Leper during the chapter, and just when he opens up to Gene, Forrester leaves him to himself. Gene, does not seem to put himself in Leper’s skin, what would he have done if he was given a Section 8 discharge. Leper ran for his future, not his life. He tells Gene, “You can’t get a job after that” (Knowles 144). Gene and Leper have two different “escapes”. To Gene, men and women escape from danger and fight for survival. For Leper, he escaped because of his career, he doesn’t want to be the rumored “Psycho”. At the end, Leper is right back where he came from, with a strang fake confidence that could ruin Gene’s friendship for Finny forever. After all the way Gene treated him, he has every reason too.

Assignment 9, Question 3- Sophie Attie

3.) What causes Gene to attack Leper? The answer needs to involve a literal and figurative exploration of what occurs here (middle 145).

Gene attacks Leper because Leper accuses Gene of making Finny crippled. Leper has gone completely nuts in this chapter and he doesn’t think about what he says to Gene. He starts getting mad at Gene and then he makes it seem like he wants to make Gene feel bad. He acts like it’s no big deal since he laughs while he accuses Gene. Leper is wondering if Gene even thought about him then he dropped the bomb, “like that time you knocked Finny out of the tree.” (Knowles p. 145). Of course Gene get’s mad and calls Finny’s name but Leper just keeps going as if he doesn’t care about Gene anymore, “Like that time you crippled him for life… Laughing and crying he lay with his head on the floor and hiss knees up.” (Knowles p. 145). Leper just laughs uncontrollably for no reason. He sounds completely nuts here and he keeps teasing Gene so eventually Gene did attack Leper because Leper was getting on his nerves. Gene attacks Leper because he’s mad that Leper is like this, he doesn’t want Leper to be like this he wants him to be his old self that played with snails, it’s almost as if Gene is scared of Leper. He is scared his friend has gone nuts so he attacks Leper as if telling him to snap out of it.