Wait... what he died?!

I did not like this book at all, until Finny died. It was really boring, at least I thought so. One of the interesting things about this book, was when I read the back cover, it seemed like Phineas and Gene were both main characters. When I read this book, I thought Gene was the main character, and he was the one who developed as a character. I really liked Leper as a character. He never showed confidence in himself, unless he was around all the boys. It was like he was putting on a show for everyone. One character in this story, that I really disliked was Brinker. He seemed to me like he was really insecure and he was always looking for attention. He was in so many clubs and when he just came into Phineas and Gene's room he expected that he was wanted there, even though he wasn't.

I think that throughout this book the boys all matured and learned a hard lesson about war. They learned that when your country is involved in the war it is unavoidable for you as a person. Everyone, except Phineas, is dragged into the war by force or by choice. One of the biggest influences on the characters is the setting of A Seperate Peace. At Devon, the boys are expecting to go into the war. They also are expected to take their stuidies seriously. At Devon, Phineas is treated better than the rest of the boys, but I dont think it was the teacher's fault. Phineas knew how to argue his way out of conflicts.

The main theme of this story is that while growing up, you face many battles but, getting through them only makes you stronger. Another theme I saw is that when someone in your life dies, it is important not to forget them. Gene struggles through both of these things. I think that he felt responsible for Phineas' death. When he says "I could not escape a feeling that this was my own funeral and you do not cry in that case."