Brinker Hadley

Brinker is 17 years old and goes to school at Devon. His job is a student but he also is involved with politics, arrangements and offices. He is not very athletic and he looked "the standard of a "preparatory school article". Gene describes Brinker's face "all straight lines-eyebrows, mouth nose, everything- and he carried his six feet of height straight as well."(Knowles 87) Almost everyone in the school liked Brinker but his relationship with Gene is strained just because he

suspects more and says more than Gene would like him to.

Symbolism

I think Brinker represents the guy holding the flashlight because he understands the war now and can see it for what it is ,whereas everyone else is left in the dark

Character Analysis

I think Brinker as a character is kind of like the opposite of Finny. He does the whole school dress code and beyond looking like "the standard preparatory school article" (Knowles 87), where as Finny wears pink shirts and the school tie as a belt. But Brinker is more than just the opposite of Finny he shows another side of adolescence. He is the kid who always does everything right- he maybe a little bossy and I'm suspecting sucks up to the teachers- but carries himself with confidence and maturity of one who knows what he wants out of life. The kid who was perfect but to whom something happened changing them into a rebel. Brinker changes from being "perfect" to someone who participates in the winter carnival only to disobey the school(Knowles 131). I think part of his rebellion was his realization that following the rules and the school would not do anything for him, now, he still will be drafted. He realized the war for what it truly was in all its craziness"for Brinker the Lawgiver had turned rebel for the Duration." (Knowles 131)

Theme Tie-In

I think Brinker represents the theme of Self Realization in the novel A Separate Peace. He thought he wanted to enlist, that joining the war was the best thing ever. But he realizes something, and the book doest exactly say what ,but I'm pretty sure that he realized that the war was war and not the glorious thing all the kids their age thought it was. This changes his whole course of life and effects some of the others in the book also.