A Separate Peace

Every child is born innocent. None of us are ever brought into this world knowledgeable about the trails and atrocities we will inevitably have to encounter. We see the world as a good place with no wrongdoing, full of opportunity. As the character Leper in A Separate Peace says, "everything has to evolve or else it perishes" (117). Leper's words point out that as we grow up, we slowly begin, to see the world's harsh realities. There are two outcomes to this realization. We can accept the world's imperfections, mature and go on, or we can avoid and reject our disappointing knowledge and hold on to naïve views. Leper's words are true in "A Turn With the Sun", by John Knowles, as well as in A Separate Peace, also by John Knowles, two books in which the characters Gene and Laurence have different approaches to life. Gene progresses, grows emotionally throughout the book, and in the end, lives on. Laurence, on the other hand, is a sticks to his own naïve thoughts of the world and perishes
<Tab/>As we first meet the character Gene, he is a na&iuml;ve follower. He is the reserved type that is fairly athletic and rather studious. His best friend, Finny is his alter ego. Throughout the start of the book Gene bases his actions solely on Finny's personal ideals. He goes along with whatever Finny says and wants so much to please him, that he often stifles his own personal opinions to do so. …