Preview

The Chocolate War

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
542 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Chocolate War
The Chocolate War

Why would a person decide to betray the beliefs they had fought so hard for? In Robert Cormiers novel The Chocolate War, the character of Jerry Renault changes drastically from a rebel to a follower in the end. The school gang known as the vigils and his moral beliefs motivates Jerry's actions. He feels he must take a stand against evil. Jerry can be considered a hero because of his beliefs. In the end however he gives in to the things he fought against and becomes a follower.

There are many factors that cause Jerry to act the way he does. The main reason is he forced by the vigils to refuse the chocolates. "When he returned to the school after practice, he found a letter scotch-taped to the door of his locker. A summons from the vigils. Subject: Assignment."(Cormier 62) He is now forced to refuse the school chocolate sale. He now has to face Brother Leon and tell him no which soon gives him insight in to the teachers' feelings. "His eyes gave him away. His face was always under control but his eyes showed his vulnerability."(Cormier 92) Jerry realizes that Brother Leon is struggling with the candy sale and that he is trying to hide his anger for Jerry's' refusal. Jerry knows Brother Leon's hate for him and his fear of failure with the chocolate sale. "He had met Brother Leon in the corridor late one afternoon after football practice and had seen hate flashing in the teachers eyes. More than hate: something sick." (Cormier 92) Jerry knows that Leon hates him for refusing the chocolates but he doesn't want to give into Leon and take the chocolates. This is what motivates Jerry to become a rebel

Webster's dictionary defines a hero as any man admired for his courage, qualities or exploits, especially in war. Some people attribute the term hero mostly to war. My personal definition of a hero is someone who takes a stand against evil or an unjust cause. The term hero can be applied to anyone, it isn't

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Goober’s actions help develop Jerry as a character by demonstrating his contrasting personality and thoughts towards those of Jerry. Goober often turns to Jerry on matters concerning the status of the chocolate sale and The Vigils. How Jerry responds helps develop his role in the story, which you could say makes him look good from the reader’s perspective. Goober’s effect on Jerry allows the reader to gain further insight on Jerry and the reasons behind…

    • 340 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the book Chocolate War Jerry Renault is the main character. He is a very quiet but strong willed kid. When he sets his mind to something he follows through and finishes whatever the task may be. He has had a very emotional year with his mom passing away and his dad pretty much abandoning him. His dad was there but they hardly ever talked. Jerry didn’t have anyone to talk to or help him deal with the hurt and pain of losing his mom. Jerry went out for the football team try-outs and was pummeled and thought he was going to die. He got up and kept trying and he made the team through all his perseverance.…

    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    As the movie goes on, it becomes more obvious this character’s detachment and isolation from the rest of the world. The viewer becomes aware that Jerry is in need of a great deal of money and was attempting to get it from his wealthy father-in-law. His first attempt is to get a loan from his father-in-law for a real estate deal. When that deal falls through, there is a shot of Jerry walking back to his car, defeated. At this point (about 0:21:30 into the movie), there is a top-down view of an empty,…

    • 1288 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    A hero is a person who is admired for his or her qualities or achievements. Heroes are brave and influential figures who perform selfless deeds to help others. These role models give everything and expect nothing in return. An extraordinary hero named Steven Spielberg is an important individual who has left a positive effect on the world.…

    • 353 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Within the story, the first complication comes fairly late. When the ten days are over of the assignment assigned by The Vigils, Jerry still refuses to sell the chocolates. Jerry’s refusal is on instinct. As Jerry continues to refuse the chocolates he's also refusing both Brother Leon's authority and the authority of The Vigils. This is of great significance because this is the only time that an individual stands up against the abuse of their authority. When Jerry refuses to fall into selling the chocolates, he distributes the order of peace at Trinity. Another complication arrives later in the story as well, as Archie and The Vigils, plan how to keep the bake sale successful and mask the defiance that Jerry brings with his share of the sale.…

    • 314 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    He was a freshman at Trinity, which is a Catholic school. Brother Leon is the school headmaster and runs a kind of chocolate sale every year, where all students participate. It is not a requirement that they participate, but if don’t…then you are looked at as an outcast. The Vigils are a group at Trinity led by Archie Costello. As stated in Campbell’s chapters, “To show Leon where the power lies, Archie secretly assigns Jerry to refuse to sell the chocolates for ten days. Brother Leon is enraged but impotent as every day at the roll call of sales figures Jerry continues to answer “No” (Campbell 54). After the assignment timing is up, Jerry continues to refuse to sell the chocolates for his own reasons. As a result, the Vigils psychologically and physically destroy Jerry Renault. Due to Jerry’s refusal to conform, he gets beaten by the Vigils, the school…

    • 1583 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Like a cult stopping members from leaving, The Vigils attempt to use violence, and Jerry promptly figures this out as he is getting jumped by the notorious school bully Emile Janza and six of his friends (Cormier, The Chocolate War: A Novel 203). This was a swift attack to demoralize Jerry into giving up on his one man crusade. Physical violence is not just used on Jerry but also on anyone that follows in his footsteps. For example, Frankie Rollo, who taunts The Vigil’s leaders, is beaten up and made an example of what happens when someone go against The Vigils. In a final attempt to end Jerry Renault once and for all, The Vigils offer Jerry an “opportunity to get even” with Emile by fighting him in an unorthodox boxing match where defending is not permitted and where punches are thrown by raffle ticket system. However, this fight goes astray when Emile beats up an unresponsive Jerry as the crowd chants “kill him,” similar to the mob brutality in Lord of the Flies. After this brawl Jerry realizes that “They don't want you to do your thing, not unless it happens to be their thing, too… Just remember what I told you. It's important. Otherwise, they murder you” (Cormier, The Chocolate War: A Novel 248). Although the book ends with Jerry getting knocked out and the raffle ticket proceeds covering the cost of the chocolates Jerry refused to sell, Jerry stood up to the established order and stayed firm in his ideals. This demonstration of courage by a typical high school student with ordinary skills and talents is inspiring to the…

    • 1424 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Compare Beowulf To Malala

    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages

    A hero is often a phrase used in everyday English. Anyone can be a hero, it is how individuals define one that gives them that title. Some may think of heroes with a giant sword, slaying monsters, and rules a kingdom, like how Beowulf is displayed.…

    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Jerry illustrated how he becomes independent by making decisions that he thinks are the best for him and the rest of his life in Trinity. Jerry breakthrough and decided…

    • 756 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I am the librarian of the school, and I see your worries with the context of The Chocolate War. With all due respect, Mr. or Mrs. X, I think offering this book at the library as a reading choice is a better decision than taking it off the school library shelf. If I had not mistaken your letter, you have are three main concerns with the novel, too sexual, disrespectful to Catholic priests, and negative minded influences that the novel brings to the readers. According to our school’s mission statement, “ Gould Academy prepares academically motivated students for college and helps them to become independent-minded, ethical citizens who will lead lives of purpose, action, excellence, and compassion in a dynamic world.” We hope to help our students become success both in and outside of classrooms. There is lots of way to accomplish our mission, and for myself, I think one way to do this is to read. The Chocolate War is a novel about young adults, which can also refer to students at Gould Academy. It is also one of my intention to let the students have the…

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Through the Tunnel

    • 447 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Jerry wanted so badly for the boys to accept him as one of their own. After he completes his goal,…

    • 447 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Jerry learned some new ideas from his range of experiences with the dog. Jerry makes a comment about the landlady’s dog being like a descendant of Cerberus, a mythological dog (1159). The reason he makes that comparison is because the rooming house, is like hell and the dog is its gatekeeper (1156). While Cerberus is the gatekeeper of Hades, making sure the right people come in and nobody gets out. An idea we get from this is that the landlady’s dog, when he bites Jerry is trying to keep him out, because he does not think that Jerry belongs at the rooming house. But at first, Jerry just thinks that the dog does not like him and think he is being cruel. Jerry will not accept that and he wants to mend some sort of relationship with the dog. This gets us to the main point he brings up that he learned, and that was the teaching emotion. The teaching emotion is when you combine together, during the same occurrence, kindness and cruelty. Yet each by themselves, independent of each other, only creates individual effects not intermingled with anything else. First Jerry tried to be kind to the dog by feeding him, bring him meals every time that he entered the rooming house. Yet after the dog would devour the food, he would still try and attack Jerry (1158). Since the dog’s lack of attitude adjustment became apparent after Jerry’s act of kindness, it angered him so he decided to attempt the contrary. He had been feeding the dog hamburger meat, so one day he tainted the meat with rat poisoning (1158). After the dog survived the poisoning, Jerry realized that a relationship could be salvaged and he could have a relationship with a dog that he could never share with people. Jerry thought through his kindness he could win the dog over, and that did not happen. This made him angry, and so he decided to be cruel…

    • 2609 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Being as though our parents enrolled us in a small catholic school, it was rather easy for Jerrys teachers to track me down. Once he was old enough to get enrolled, he made a mark on school, and let’s just say they weren’t always great ones. Although jerry was smart, he always choose to make his life difficult. Going to grade school with jerry was an adventure, to say the least. During his rebel stage, he would forge our parent’s signature and get caught, he would constantly lie about missing homework. Jerry was great in many things, but lying wasn’t his “thing”. As some random points throughout the year my name would be called through the loud speaker about 6 times a day. This was Jerrys hardest stage, I never understood why? Was it the school, or did he just want attention? I never knew, but I did what I could to protect and defend him. A memorable period during my middle school stage, was when he “ran away”, during my sixth grade lunch period. Innocently eating lunch with my classmates, it wasn’t even ten minutes into my first bite of the delicious turkey sand which I had; I was rudely interrupted by: “Angelika Crespo, Sister Barbara would like to see you.” Immediately, I knew my sisterly duties were being called. I was then informed he ran away, and I was to go find him around the perimeter. It wasn’t till about 5 minutes that I see a little brown chubby hand…

    • 1726 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this story Jerry learnt not to try to hard to be like someone else or to try and get someone to like you. So Jerry knows not to be a sheep anymore doing something just because other people were doing…

    • 373 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the dictionary, a hero is defined as a person of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his/her brave deeds and noble qualities. Soldiers are people who put their lives on the line, for our freedom. Ranging from the posts of body guards of VIPs to guarding their country’s territory, they spend months away from their dear ones, in far off lands amidst dangers. Bullets and bombs lurk in every corner of their paths.…

    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays

Related Topics