The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

Cormier, Robert. (1974). The Chocolate War. Pantheon. 288 pp.

· New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year

· ALA Best Book for Young Adults

· School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

Fiction, Trouble at School, Bullying

Literary Elements- Characterization

Jerry Renault is a New England Trinity prep-school student. After his mother’s recent death, Jerry begins questioning his father’s monotonous lifestyle and searches for the meaning behind the poster in the back of his locker which states, “Do I dare disturb the universe?” (from The Wasteland by T.S. Elliot ) As Trinity’s annual chocolate sale approaches, Jerry decides that he doesn’t want to participate. The fund-raiser is not mandatory, but no one has ever chosen to not participate. For a short time, Jerry becomes a hero by promoting independent thinking, but things quickly change when his teacher, Brother Leon, asks for help from The Vigils, the school’s own secret society. Archie Costello is one of the cruelest members of The Vigils and sees Jerry’s antics as a threat to him and his secret society. Jerry soon finds himself in a war with Brother Leon and Archie that leaves him broken-bodied and broken-spirited.

Everything is going normal for Jerry in his new school until Archie Costello notices him and wants to give him an “assignment”. The Vigil assignments are given so underclassmen can “prove themselves”. Jerry’s friend, Goober, is given an assignment to unscrew all the furniture in Brother Leon’s room one night. After this assignment, Goober feels so much shame for going through with the deed, and he is never the same. Jerry’s assignment is to refuse the fifty chocolate bars that each student is expected to sell for ten days. Jerry accepts his assignment, but after the ten days are over, he continues to reject the chocolate because he doesn’t want to sell them. This really upsets Brother Leon who is in charge of the fund-raiser. Leon desperately seeks out the help of the secret, but really not so secret, society of The Vigils to “inspire” Jerry to sell his portions no matter what it takes. Archie begins to see Jerry as a treat and starts his twisted mind games to try and break Jerry down. In one occasion, Jerry is beaten by several boys after a football practice. In the final scene, Jerry and another bully, Emile Janza, are pinned against each other in a boxing ring, while the whole student body screams for blood.

This novel is very detailed and descriptive. It also makes good use of its many characters. There are so many different characters that teenage boys can relate to, good and bad. This will also allow readers to see the perspectives of others. While Jerry is the main character, readers also see into the minds of the other characters, like Archie and Obie. When readers first meet Jerry, he is a normal high school kid trying to become a quarterback. He makes one seemingly tiny decision, to not participate in a fund-raiser, and his life is changed forever. As the main character of the novel, Jerry is very quiet. His actions speak much louder than his words. Jerry never backs down. Archie’s sharp mind and well-planned assignments make him a villain that many high school students can relate to on some level. His role is very significant because it shows the wicked nature of humans. His cruelty is definitely taken to an outrageous level. In my opinion, Brother Leon is more wicked than Archie. He has the power to stay behind the scenes and manipulate Archie, the self-described king of manipulation. His power in the school is scary, because he never has to dirty his own hands. Towards, the end of the novel, readers start to wonder if the assignments and the chocolates are worth all of the torture. This storyline shows how cruel some people can get over the smallest things.

I can see how some parents would not care for this novel’s descriptive details. However, Cormier does not sugar-coat these issues for his audience, because these are real issue that teenagers face. I believe that is why this book has stayed popular for so many years. The novel centers around themes of manipulation, psychological warfare, and fear.

For me, the ending was upsetting because Archie was never reprimanded, nothing ever bad happened to him. I wanted him to draw the black marble so bad! We don't even see Jerry prevail over Archie or Brother Leon. However, this shows readers that justice isn’t always served to the appropriate person. It is appropriate, though, to point out that Jerry was true to himself and his decisions. He never gave into the group no matter how hard things got, and he did find, for himself, the meaning behind the quotation on his poster.

I was particularly interested in the first sentence of the novel, “They murdered him”. I was confused at first, but the last couple of chapters really drove that statement in. We see many characters, including Jerry and Goober, metaphorically murdered. One might assume that they are being “murdered” by Brother Leon and Archie because of their evil natures, but you must also look at the mob mentality the student body displays in the boxing scene. Who is really to blame? Also, I think it is very important to point out Jerry’s realization of the meaning behind the quotation on his poster. “Jerry suddenly understood the poster- the solitary man on the beach standing upright and alone and unafraid, poised at the moment of making himself heard and know in the world, the universe” (Cormier, 186). This quotation is very important to Jerry as a character and it gives teachers a great chance to look at and analyze The Wasteland, if appropriate for their classroom.

Personally, I lost interest about half-way through the novel, but my curiosity was sparked again towards the end of the story. I’m not sure if it was because I didn’t relate to the storyline or if it was because I had just read Deadline, which was AMAZING! I do, however, think this novel deals with great issues and would be perfectly suited for a school that has a high rate of bullying and teasing. In Books That Don’t Bore ‘Em, this novel was said to be a good pick for a whole-class reading. Since there are no female characters, I am not sure the girls in the class would really be interested. I do feel that some students would love this book, so I would use it for an independent reading/book choice. I am not sure of the age range of this novel because of its graphic depictions of the fight scenes. The ending seems hopeless to some, so I think that this book is better for a more mature audience. I would assume this book would be okay for 9^th/10th graders and above.