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.

HENRY BAMFORD'S Assignment 9 Question 4

4.) Since Leper is “section 8” (“for nuts in the service”), explore the irony of Leper’s statement “always were a savage underneath.” Take into consideration that Leper contacted Gene. Why is this important?

In this reading, Leper says, “ ...always were a savage underneath.” (Knowles 145) several times to Gene when Gene is at his house. This is ironic because while Leper is supposed to be psycho, he's right, Gene is savage. Gene destroyed Finny's best quality, his athletics, because of his own jealousy. What's also ironic about Leper's statement is it's an outburst of tremendous emotion that the reader has never seen with Leper. Usually, Leper was calm and kept strong feelings to himself, but now he's furious, laughing, and crying all at the same time while telling Gene he's a savage. Leper has been bottling his true thoughts and emotions inside for the entirety of the story. Leper contacted Gene at the end of the last chapter. Leper needed Gene to come to his house to let all of his emotions and the truth of what happened at the army out. Maybe Leper will finally return to normal because of this interaction. Everyone at Devon was making jokes that Leper was leading army's attack, but in reality, the army is hurting Leper.

Henry Bamford

Assignment 9 Question 4 Katie

4.) Since Leper is “section 8” (“for nuts in the service”), explore the irony of Leper’s statement “always were a savage underneath.” Take into consideration that Leper contacted Gene. Why is this important?

Leper has basically been diagnosed by the army as, “psycho” so for him to call someone else something is a bit ironic since he shouldn’t be talking. He doesn’t know for a fact what really happened on the tree, and what he is talking about so it doesn’t seem fair for him to accuse someone of being crazy, when he has been called that himself. Leper has always been the most calm, and most peaceful out of the boys, and now he is making the most intense accusation. He has changed to be one of the more disturbed boys. In the beginning of the book, I don’t think anyone could have guessed that Leper would be one of the first to guess what really happened up on that tree. But even though Leper is telling Gene he was “always a savage underneath” he contacts him first because he feels more comfortable with someone he thinks is on the same level as him. He thinks that they both have something wrong with them. Leper wants to contact and talk to someone who has done something wrong, someone who will understand at least a little bit of what he is saying. Leper has changed sufficiently saying,“I admitted a hell of a lot to myself.” (Knowles 145). Leper has changed because now that he feels he has the title of being “psycho”, he feels he can call other people whatever he wants.

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.