Gene Forrester Character

In John Knowles novel, A Separate Peace, three main characters each suggest in their actions a different way to grow and develop into a more mature person and their growth manifests good or bad given the circumstances. Gene, Leper, and Phineas all mature or develop in different ways despite being close, as their lives intertwine they all have personal struggles to overcome and learn from

Gene Forrester is one of John Knowles’ extremely complex characters. Gene is described as an intellectual, extremely gifted in academics. Gene may have the brains but this does not stop him from comparing himself to his best friend’s intellectually savvy personality and natural athletic ability. As Gene reflects on the summer of 1942 he states his distaste with his younger self’s affinity for sarcasm and

In the intense and terrible circumstances, Gene becomes a mature person and grows into a real soldier that makes it home safe from the war and his internal own battles.

Elwin Lepellier, also known as Leper, is an example of another character that goes through an extremely sobering experience during 1942-43. Leper is shown as a benign and passive sort of character from Gene’s perspective. He is portrayed as a follower but is seen refusing to do activities he doesn 't feel comfortable doing, but he continues to tag along with the rest of The Suicide Society. This is evident when he refuses to jump from the tree and declines Gene’s pass during Blitzball. “Leper looked up in anguish, shrank away from the ball, and voiced his first thought, a typical one.’I don 't want it!’” (Knowles, 39). This seems like a sign of weakness to the other boys, the odd one out that doesn 't relish the activities the other boys like to participate in. However, Leper could be seen as a strong character, on that won 't be pushed around. Leper decides to join the war effort for his own purposes; he