... world, we are first encountered with Gene, as a light-hearted, sixteen-year old with no worries. Despite the fact that war was going on, Gene lived a carefree life "calmly, 2 numbly reading Virgil and playing tag in the river downstream" (7). To Gene and the boys, there was no need for fear or need to enroll in the war because there was no ... real war, the "bombs in Central Europe were completely unreal to us here...our place was too fair for us to accept that. We spent the summer in complete selfishness" (23). For Gene specifically, why would he need to worry? He was a confident, soci...

• Word Count: 1528
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School