TWU - LS 5623 Classics & Awards THE CHOCOLATE WAR

YA

Cormier, Robert. 1974. THE CHOCOLATE WAR.  New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

ISBN 9780394828053

PLOT SUMMARY - ANALYSIS
A group of boys at a Catholic high school are divided by membership in an exclusive club that runs underground.  The Vigils control both the students and the faculty, but are faced with a challenge when one student, Jerry Renault, defies the authority of the Vigils and the faculty by refusing to sell the required amount of chocolates as a fundraiser for the school.  The students find themselves in a mass conflict against the student with fatal consequences.

In this early classic 1970s novel, the tone is set for this exciting, aggressive, and socially scaffolded book with the opening line “they murdered him” (page one). From the onset of the story of boys struggling to find themselves at an all boys’ Catholic school, the controllers and controlled are in conflict. The football field is a place for the boys to prove themselves in sports and the Vigils club activities reveal a social proving ground.

The boy characters and the Catholic fathers, that are the teachers and administrators, are believable through character development throughout the book.  The reader understands the desperation of Brother Leon to show his absolute control of the school and its finances during the conversations with the Vigils leader, Archie. Along with this, Brother Leon defies his fatherly demeanor by saying “enough of this crap” (page 39). Archie’s character returns with the reflection that his words were shocking and “maybe because the words were so startling as they issued from this pale and inoffensive looking little man. Later on, you found out that he wasn’t inoffensive” (page 39).   This un-natural relationship of a student and teacher is exaggerated through all the interactions between these two characters, especially when Archie’s character reveals what he has discovered about most grownups; “they were vulnerable, running scared, open to invasion” (page 23).

This book is zesty and fiery with language and imagery concurrent with the boys and their growing sexual interests and fears. The setting of the all boys’ school opens this book up to rough dialogue, physical conflicts, and an overall competitive theme. The language of the book adds to the harshness of the book and the eventual devastating outcome by using swearing, sexual descriptions, and some emotional blackmail on the part of the Assigner, Archie, in the Vigils.

This book gives a dark view of group dynamics when the boys are faced with the fact that this one student, Renault, has defied the Fathers, Vigils, and the Catholic school, Trinity. Even the fact that Renault’s mother had passed away, did not lighten the target that was on Renault. The evil nature of the heavenly fathers that are supposed to be overseeing the education of the young boys is frightening.  The corruption and social climbing integrated with the cruelty of an audience-controlled destruction of Jerry Renault, leaves the reader shocked at the fact the not a single soul stepped in to “save” Jerry. 

Even a glimmer of conscience in the Goober character does not overcome and “save” Jerry as he contemplates “whether he’d really been sick or whether his conscience had revolted, infecting his body, leaving him weak and nauseous” (Page 236). A sad last thought about the journey for individual freedom is shared with the reader as Jerry is “leaving.” “They tell you to do your thing but they don’t mean it. They don’t want you to do your thing, unless it happens to be their thing, too” (page 248).

The general theme is of the independence of the soul to resist conformity begins as a heroic journey by Renault yet as a reader, there is a feeling of pride for the character, followed by fear, and eventual sadness at the “down” ending.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Booklinks (ALA) 07/01/06

School Library Journal

Wilson’s Junior High School 11/01/05

Booklist 08/01/97

Wilson’s Senior High School 11/01/02

Margaret Edwards Award 01/01/91

Notable Best Books (ALA)

EXEMPLARY or FAVORITE LINE

“The teacher might have been able to carry off his act successfully, except for his eyes. His eyes gave him away. His face was always under control but his eyes showed his vulnerability, gave Jerry a glimpse into the hell that was burning inside the teacher” (page 116).

CONNECTIONS

Bryfonski, Dedria. 2010. PEER PRESSURE IN ROBERT CORMIER’S THE CHOCOLATE WAR. Detroit: Greenhaven Press. ISBN 0737746203

·         Partner this book in discussing the peer pressures associated with the book and use to compare to contemporary peer pressures.  

Cormier, Robert. 1987. BEYOND THE CHOCOLATE WAR. London: Fontana Lions. ISBN 0006726814

·         Partner this book as a sequel to the original and use to analyze the complicated relationships of the characters in both books.  

Sweeney, Joyce. 2000. PLAYERS. Delray Beach, Fla: Winslow Press. ISBN 1890817546

·         Partner this book as a similar story of teenage boys struggling to understand their place in social ladder of life.  The theme that all people do not try to do what is right is similar to the Chocolate War’s theme.