Coming of age

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Coming of Age
Many works of literature use the idea of coming of age to represent the characters growth and change. This coming of age allows the characters to see an aspect of their lives differently after experiencing something that changes their view. John Knowles uses this coming of age idea in his novel A Separate Peace. In the story, almost all of the character exemplifies this idea. Two of these characters are Leper and Finny. Knowles uses many details in the text as well as quotes to show for their coming of age. Both Leper and Finny experience events that impact their lives greatly.
Elwin “Leper” Lepellier is a great example of this idea of coming of age. In the beginning of the novel, he is very calm and peaceful and one with nature. He is also kinds of an outcast, and is very nerdy and soft-spoken. This is displayed when he goes cross-country skiing to find the beaver dam instead of working on the rails with the others. Leper is also quite innocent and enters the war after seeing a video of the army men skiing. To his surprise, the war is nothing like he expected it ...

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