Leper is a mild,
gentle boy who enjoys nature and engages in peaceful, outdoor things, such as
cross-country skiing. He is seen as a contrast to Finny, who he envies for
being so close to Gene. From the beginning, Leper undergoes many conflicts
resulting in stress. He is challenged by Finny to jump out of the suicide tree,
but refuses and just watches. In the game of Blitzball, the ball was tossed to
him, but he refused it, wanting no part in the game. When he goes off to the
war and experiences basic training, he suffers a mental breakdown and runs away
from his fears, which was the war. His breakdown causes fear, stress, and
confusion, but also sharpens his insight. When he returns to the school, he has
gained a power that even Brinker cannot respond to in the Assembly Room trial. He
was the first boy in Gene’s class to enlist in the army, which makes Gene
believe even more that there really is not a war. Leper relies on Gene and
refers to him as his best friend. Leper’s terrible description of his wartime
experience is one of the novel’s darkest moments.
“They're ruining
skiing in this country, rope tows and chair lifts and all that stuff. You get
carted up, and then you whizz down. You never get to really look at the trees,
at a tree. I just like to go along and see what I'm passing and enjoy myself.
This quotation
is suggesting that Leper is carefree and is not worried about what’s going
around him. Despite the hard times, he remains untained by the war, unlike Gene
who is filled with resentment and fear. His character serves as a reminder that
things are changing, but that you can overlook those changes and still enjoy
yourself.
“Everything has
to evolve or else it perishes… You know what? I'm almost glad this war came
along. It's like a test, isn't it, and only the things and the people who've
been evolving the right way survive.”
This quotation is a reminder that things change and that they change for a
reason, sometimes for the better. When
Leper leaves Devon, it marks the beginning of Brinker’s transformation. Leper’s
breakdown from the army causes Finny to break down too, causing him to believe
that there really is a war. The visions that he has all represent the horrors
of change. The change has to do with war, but also with growing up. When he
says that everything has to evolve or else it perishes, he means that no matter
how rough the situation is, it is necessary for it to undergo the changes it
does so that something good may come out of it. If things do not evolve, it
automatically perishes and nothing was learned from the experience because it
had a negative outcome. He also says that only the things and people who have
been evolving the right way survive, meaning that the ones who have made the
right decisions and have determined their actions carefully will change
drastically, for the better. The only people who are able to succeed in any
type of transformation are the ones who have had experience.
“Did you ever
think about me? I thought about myself, and Ma, and the old man, and pleasing
them all the time. Well, never mind about that now. It’s you we happen to be talking
about now. Like a savage underneath. Like, like that time you knocked Finny out
of the tree.”
This quotation is showing
how much Leper has changed from his experience in the army. He has matured and
is now able to stand up for himself. He is no longer afraid to say what is on
his mind, no matter how rude or disrespectable it may be. This quote helps us
realize that change really is possible and it can have either a negative or a
positive affect on somebody. Leper compares Gene to a savage, saying that on
the outside he is innocent and acts as if he is a friend, but underneath he is
really hiding under a bunch of lies. In this quote, Leper also lets the reader
know that he knows what Gene did to Finny, which was knocking him from the
tree.
