Chappell gives the readers a glimpse of Jess’s maturity …show more content…
When Jess wakes up to see Johnson sleeping on the bed across from his, he wants to “shouts and leaps onto the bed” because of his excitement (Chappell 76). Instead of doing either action like a kid would when they see something they like, Jess remains calm like an adult. As the chapter gradually ends, we can see Jess’s growth in his thinking and actions. Before Johnson’s enlistment, Jess believes that Johnson can assassinate Hitler to end the war. However, by the end of “The Furlough”, Jess knows that the task of killing Hitler is difficult, “Johnson was not really going to kill Hitler and end the war, that nothing was to be that simple” (Chappell 92). Jess also felt that it is his responsibility to get older, he would “pack up all my toys and put them away . . . straightened my shoulders back and began to talk like an adult” (Chappell 80). Putting all his toys away means he wants to end his adolescence years and start thinking logically. He believes that there are many things that he did not understand, but one thing he was clear: he needs to be older. Jess is still an innocent kid who is not wise enough and he knew that being an adult means he will have more experience and knowledge. However, readers also gain a new insight from Johnson upon Jess’s description of