"A Separate Peace" - Leper

In The story "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles, a minor but vital character, Leper, reflects the impact of war on a fragile, innocent, young man. As he leaves for the war, the boys at Devon look to him as a heroic figure. Then the story takes a disappointing twist, Leper returns and brings a part of the war home with him. Youth and adolescence, interrupted and destroyed, his mind, incapable of handling and accepting …

…sinister side of Gene is demolished. Gene affirmed about Finny's funeral, "I could not escape a feeling that this was my own funeral." Even though Leper let out a wanting lie, he brought in a much needed truth. A fundamental character in A Separate Peace, Leper carried a momentous theme to the novel. He brings in a vital view of the war and significant "truths". Without leper the novel would not have as much meaning.