Knowles use of imagery and
detailed description at the beginning of this chapter sets the tone for the
scene that is about to take place. Gene has set off to meet Leper, who has just
summoned him with an obscure and urgent telegram. While the boys were in a
sheltered bubble of peace and harmony at Devon, Leper was out in the “real
world” where the reality had become being at war. In the hope that he was
safe, Gene and his classmates spent the time Leper was away fabricating stories
of his magnificent adventures to help make light of the dark times they were
in. Now that Leper has supposedly returned, Gene is unsure about what state he
is in, yet he only wishes to think positive thoughts.
Although the harsh winter
cold of Vermont is surrounding him, Gene chooses to feel only the hint of warm
sunlight behind him. Gene describes the sun as “the blessing of the morning”
that had no real purpose except to spread its comforting warmth. Gene explains,
“As I walked briskly out the road the wind knifed at my face, but this sun
caressed the back of my neck,” (Knowles 141). The contrasting feelings of
warmth and coldness show how Gene is choosing to interpret the situation. He
refuses to accept that Leper could be in trouble with the army. Gene believes that Leper's "escape" must have a good explanation behind it. This could very well be because he
cares for his friend, but it may also be because he too will one day enter in
the War. If Leper was alright, Gene might have a chance at surviving the War too.
As Gene travels towards Leper’s home and describes the surrounding area, he
says, “That natural state of things is coldness, and houses are fragile havens,
holdouts in a death landscape, unforgettably comfortable, simple though they
are, just because of their warmth,” (Knowles 139). He is presented with a
“death-landscape,” yet once again he chooses only to seek and accept the warmth within it. This is representative of his frame of mind– the general denial of the
apparent truth that Knowles’ descriptions suggest. Through all of the
descriptions of the desolate landscape around Gene, there is a sense that what
lies ahead for Gene isn’t very promising. Still, Gene reaches back into his
past at Devon and finds a hope that Leper’s escape will only be positive.
Does Gene's choice to see the warmth in the cold Vermont
landscape remind you of another time Gene chose to only see the light in a
situation? How might Gene living in his "separate peace" be affecting
the way he perceives the world?
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ReplyDeleteSince Gene lives in a, "separate peace", he is certainly a bit more naive than someone who has actually experienced the real world. When Gene visits Leper, he is shocked to be told that Leper had escaped from the army, because one does not simply escape from the army. However, Leper tells him that, "that's because you're talking through your hat" (Knowles 143). Gene, living in his separate peace, does not really understand the real world. He only sees it the way the people in his world see it, not as it actually is. Gene is blinded by his view on the war, the one that is falsely created for them to see to help enlist them. His mind can not see the real army, and did not know about the army's actual face.
ReplyDelete-Tayseer