Sunday, May 4, 2014
Assignment 8: Leper is the first of the boys to enlist. Based on the conversation and the narration in the previous few chapters, what about this is ironic?
Based on the conversation and narration in the past few chapters, it is very ironic that Leper is the first of the boys to enlist due to the fact that he is the opposite of the mold many of the boys have set for what a soldier should be. Leper is a social outlier, who usually keeps to himself. Most of the boys thought that Brinker would be the first to enlist, based off his outgoing personality, his position as a leader of their class, and his declaration of enlisting, which actually ended up being empty. Brinker and Leper are almost polar opposites, and when Gene realizes Brinker will be taking Leper's room, Gene thinks "Suddenly I did not want to see the trays of snails which Leper had passed the summer collecting replaced by Brinkers files," (Knowles 75). Leper is the one who isn't interested in playing the athletic games of the other boys, and would rather spend time doing strange research of his own. When all the other boys go off to shovel the railroad tracks, Leper stays at Devon to go skiing in search of a beaver dam. While talking to Gene about this choice to stay at Devon, Leper says "I just like to go along and see what I'm passing and enjoy myself," (Knowles 95). It would seem that somebody who likes slowing life down and stopping to "smell the roses" would not be the first to voluntarily sign up for a fast paced war, and this is why it is very ironic that Leper is the first to enlist.
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While I do agree with much of your post, I feel that Leper has also signed up because he is not taking the war seriously. When they are shown the film of the skiing troops, "it revealed what all of us were seeking: a recognizable and friendly face to the war." (Knowles 124) The ski troops in the video were, "the cleanest image of war I have ever seen" (Knowles 124). The video did not show any of the pain and blood and violence of war. All it showed were some very clean, nice-looking soldiers skiing down a slope. Leper loves skiing, and because this was all he saw in the video, he decided he wanted to enlist in this service. Leper, not knowing the real face of war, decided that it would be a good idea to enlist to the troops.
ReplyDeleteI slightly disagree with the comment above in that I think that Leper had other reasons for enlisting. As pointed out by Gene, Leper had a "turning point in his life" (Knowles 124). Surprising the crowd and even himself, Leper uncharacteristically says, in the midst of his new discovery about evolution, that "it's alright to miss seeing the trees and the countryside and all other things when you've got to be in hurry" (Knowles 125). Leper explains that life isn't all about slowing down and appreciating simple beauties (such as beaver dams) as much as it is to treasure these things keeping in mind that everything is progressing. Just like the housefly, people have to evolve and adapt to the changing times in hopes of preparing properly for the future. According to Leper, "only the things and the people who've been evolving the right way survive" (Knowles 125). Leper, in his survival of the fittest life analogy, wants to be one of the people who has correctly evolved so that he is prepared for what is to come. He thinks that in order to become this person he strives to be, he needs to join the war and face the reality of what the times have become.
ReplyDeleteI think that in this passage Leper enlists for war because he's so caught up in the majestic image of the skiers in the movie. I feel that Leper is a bit naive when it comes to what war is all about. When Leper thinks of war he thinks of the skiers and not the actual hardships that come with it. "He went out my doorway with his white stocking cap bobbing behind" (Knowles 126). When Leper leaves, he leaves with the tough of skiing down the perfect white snow, in his white suite. He doesn't imagine the toll that comes with it.
ReplyDeleteI think that Leper wanted to enlist because he thought of the war as a scientific test, and he was interested in research. Earlier in the book, Leper shows his interest in research and observations by looking at beaver dams. He says "I will if I find what I'm looking for-a beaver dam." (Knowles 95) After Leper watches the skiing video, he says that the war was "like a test, [...] and only the things and the people who've been evolving the right way survive." (Knowles 125) I think that Leper kind of wanted to see if he had been 'evolving the right way' by going to war, and testing himself. He wanted to see if he was tough enough to survive the war, and he wanted it to help him evolve, if needed, but in a peaceful way.
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