Robert Cormier is one of the most controversial authors of his time. His novels, particularly his novel The Chocolate War, have been considered to be banned from several high school and college libraries on multiple occasions. Critics bash Cormier’s controversial language used to describe the actions of his characters as well as his themes of triumphant evil that wouldn’t normally be seen in realistic fiction novels. Because this type of writing was “not meant for children” according to the critics, it was almost banned from these libraries (“The Chocolate”). What these critics fail to see, however, is that this book is not meant to be read by children, but by young adults. These themes and language are meant to be read and to be related to …show more content…
the lives of young adults, making The Chocolate War a realistic young adult novel. In the novel, there are characters that could be considered truly evil. This is quite uncommon for realistic fiction novels according to Nancy Veglahn in her critical journal The Lion and the Unicorn: A Critical Journal of Children's Literature: "Robert Cormier is one of the few writers of realistic fiction for young adults who creates genuinely evil characters. Unlike fantasy and science fiction books, which abound with embodiments of cosmic malevolence, realistic novels seem to shy away from villains.… [This] is not true of Robert Cormier" ("The Chocolate"). However, evil can be realistic to certain age groups. For example, Jerry (The main character) moves to a new school after the death of his mother. He quickly realizes that the headmaster of the school, Brother Leon, is not only an intimidating teacher, but a thief after it is discovered that he steals money from the school in order to pay for chocolates to be sold for a school fundraiser (Cormier). After being taught by Brother Leon for a few weeks, Jerry describes him like this: “On the surface... he (Brother Leon) looked like a henpecked husband, a pushover, a sucker... But all this was deceptive. Smirking, sarcastic... He watched the class like a hawk, suspicious, searching out cheaters or daydreamers, probing for weaknesses in the students and exploiting those weaknesses" (Cormier 24). This is a solid example of the qualities of an evil character. No decent human being would try to expose weaknesses in people and make them feel uncomfortable on purpose. However, a young adult, specifically a teenager in high school, may be able to relate to some of the qualities of a “truly evil” teacher. As stated above, Brother Leon “watched the class like a hawk” (Cormier 24). A teenager could relate how Brother Leon runs his classroom to how one of their teachers may run their classroom. This strict style of teaching may relate to a teacher in real life that may not trust his/her students very much. Another example of an evil character in the novel is Archie Costello. Archie is the leader of the The Vigils, a secret organization in the school led by students. These students choose other random students in the school to carry out “assignments” for them that they claim will improve the school. However, this often gets out of hand and the assignments usually cause some sort of disruption in the school. Furthermore, Archie, being the leader of the organization, uses his position to create many of these disruptful assignments. This makes him the most powerful student at the school, and everyone fears him. That can be seen by Jerry’s description of him: "Archie repelled him in many ways but most of all by the way he made everybody feel dirty, contaminated, polluted. As if there was no goodness at all in the world" (Cormier 241). Kids usually do not have this type of influence over anyone because in a normal school, organizations like The Vigils would be rooted out and disciplined accordingly. However, a teenager could relate Archie and his character to a bully at their school that may force others to do things they do not want to do. Furthermore, they could empathize or even sympathize with the students that are being forced to do these assignments. Therefore, these evil characters can relate to teenagers, but to a much smaller degree when compared to true evil. Cormier not only creates evil characters, but he sets these characters in a cruel and evil world. According to Fred Inglis in his journal The Promise of Happiness: Value and Meaning in Children's Fiction: "The intention of The Chocolate War seems to be to force the child directly up against the pain of pain, the facts of cruelty and oppression, by way of showing him that the adults have always told lies about the world's being a fine and benign place" (“The Chocolate”). Contrary to what this critic says, the intention of the book is not to force anyone up against anything, but to get the reader to think about the current world they live in and possibly draw connections to it. The school that Jerry attends, Trinity School, is described as one of the most dreadful places in the world by most, if not all, of the students attending (Cormier). This can be seen when David Caroni, a student in Jerry’s class, is summoned to Brother Leon’s room to talk about an F he receives on an assignment. At first, Leon is nice to David and offers to help him. But, being the deceptive character he is, he turns the conversation to Jerry and forces David to tell him why he will not sell chocolates for the chocolate sale. David is left in shock and wonder after he realizes what Leon did: “Now it was Caroni’s turn to feel relief from the tension, although his headache still pounded and his stomach was still upset. Worse than that, however, he had allowed Brother Leon to blackmail him. If teachers did this kind of thing, what kind of world could it be?” (Cormier 115). Again, this kind of thing in the real world is unrealistic. Teachers who blackmail their students for information would never remain teachers for long, let alone be promoted to headmaster. However, this kind of thing does bring up concerns to a young adult reader. They could draw connections to their own life and how they think about the world. For example, from seeing David ask the question “What kind of world could it be?” (Cormier 115), a reader could answer that question by looking at the news or even relate it to how their life is changing for them. This theme is also seen in a more general sense by all of the students at the school. The students talk about the cruel world they live in in normal conversations. For example, Archie and John Carter, another member of The Vigils, are talking about the success of one of their assignments. Archie concludes that the success of the assignment depended on these harsh characteristics of the other students: "You see, Carter, people are two things: greedy and cruel" (Cormier 241). Obviously, this sentence is not entirely true in the real world. But, a young adult, being at the stage in life that they are, are just beginning to grasp what the real world is like. They could draw connections from these types of conversations the students of Trinity have and conclude that what they are saying is not entirely true, but not entirely false either, making it a somewhat realistic world compared to the one they are living. To tie the combination of the evil characters and cruel setting of the novel together, there is the overall theme that the book portrays: “They (the reader) may not plead innocence, ignorance, or prior commitments when the threat of tyranny confronts them.
He (Cormier) does not imply that resistance is easy, but he insists it is mandatory” (Carter). In others, stand up for yourself and your beliefs no matter what. This is not a novel that seems like it would portray such a valuable lesson. According to Inglis: "What is deeply wrong with The Chocolate War… is its grossness and indelicacy in telling its childreaders that heroism is, strictly, such a dead end” (“The Chocolate”). However, taking a closer look into the novel, it can be seen that the theme is much deeper than “Evil triumphs over good.” In the book, Jerry does end up getting beaten up at a Vigil event. He suffers some major injuries and is taken to the hospital, which is where the book ends. Nothing else is resolved and Jerry gains nothing from standing up for himself (Cormier 263). In Inglis’s passage above, he mentions what the book his telling its childreaders, when the book is not meant for children, but for young adults. It is easily understandable that children would see Inglis’s theme as correct, but anyone with enough innocence and naiveté could see it as well. Young adults are able to learn from Jerry’s experience and connect it to their own lives. For example, LGBT teenagers stand up for themselves on a daily basis because of who they are and what they believe in. Plus, teenagers in general are always standing up for their opinions and who they are on a daily basis in normal conversation when they talk about their favorite music, hobbies, etc. Teens have an easier time relating to people and their actions because they like to know that they are not the only ones who experience what they do and they don’t want to feel isolated from everyone else. But, at the same time, if it comes down to being
rebellious in order to stand up for what they believe in, they are capable of doing that as well. Jerry went through this exact conflict in the story; therefore, the theme of the novel is supposed to be more easily understood by young adults, further backing the evidence that The Chocolate War is a realistic young adult novel. Clearly, this novel was not written for children. The themes of true evil and the terrible world they live in have much deeper symbolism than that of what kids can understand. Kids aren’t able to grasp the deeper meaning behind the themes of the novel and they aren’t able to relate to what is happening in the novel like a teenager would. The theme of a novel is not always what it seems; It can be hidden away and sometimes takes a deep understanding of the world to figure it out. That is what makes The Chocolate War special, and that is why The Chocolate War can be considered a realistic young adult novel.
Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American author and illustrator, better known to the world by his pen name of "Dr. Seuss." Acclaimed for several of the most popular children 's books of all time, Dr. Seuss 's works have sold millions of copies, and have been translated into numerous languages. To many, Dr. Seuss was "the Walt Disney to art and literature" ("Introduction"). Much of his work reflects his critique of human values, and sometimes responds to social and political issues. Specifically, The Butter Battle Book, directly criticizes the nuclear arms race taken place during the Cold War. The story tells the tale of the Yooks and the Zooks who are societies that do everything completely different. The Yooks eat their bread butter-side up while
Conroy expresses both negative and positive diction to juxtapose the brutal realities of life with the wonderful possibilities in books. He describes books as “dazzling” and “magnificent”. While conversely describing the parents and school boards as “know-nothing” and “cowardly’, which gives the audience a comparison between the two. Since Conroy uses diction to contrast the positive and negative, the audience sees how banning the books makes the parents and school board look like “teacher haters”. The image of teacher haters appeals to the audience’s emotions. This is how he gains their trust. Conroy also uses “grotesque” to describe the violence in his book about the
The Chocolate War is a story which takes place in New England in the 1970's. Most of the events happen in a Catholic school. Since this school was exclusively for boys, they were constantly trying to prove their power over each other. The story is told in third person omniscient. The story's mood is suspenseful. With each page turn one wonders if Jerry will take or refuse his chocolates. The protagonist of this story is Jerry Renault and the antagonist in Archie Costello. Jerry is a very quiet fifteen year old boy. He is also the quarterback for the Trinity High junior varsity football team. He is a very troubled individual due to his mother's death. He appears to be angry toward the whole world. Jerry is very ordinary and wants more change in his life instead of the same old thing. Archie Costello is 17 year old boy who is a member of the high school's very prestigious club called The Vigils. Archie is the "assignment giver". He gives assignments to the younger class men to do very mischievous things; for example, loosening all screws on desk chairs and chalkboards so that they will fall apart when students and teachers touch them. Archie is very clever and conniving.
Market research and information about the industry is very important to the organization because it will allow the organization to position itself well in terms of sourcing chocolate raw materials and in identifying the market for its products. For example, understanding that some chocolate product purchases are seasonal, e.g., at Christmas; around Mother’s Day; and, on Valentine’s Day, allows the organization to have more product on hand and to create displays, in store, that will increase purchases and attract more customers when existing customers tell their friends about the availability of high end products, at reasonable prices, in their store.
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.
In conclusion, critical evaluation of what makes a book good or bad depends on the selection criteria and agenda of those making the evaluation. The prizes have been criticised through the years and the selection committees have risen to this by changing the selection process, even if this change has been slow. Children’s Literature is in flux due to the ever-changing ideas and perceptions of childhood. Children’s books seen as prestigious today may become, like Blyton, unpalatable to the critics of tomorrow.
Chocolate "sale" or.....chocolate "war"? Although you describe this novel as being mainly based on simply the chocolate sale, the correct answer is more like the war of the chocolate sale. Already from the opening page of this exclusive book, where quarterback Jerry Renault is clobbered by a relentless defense, The Chocolate War is relentless in its portrayal of the vicious, sometimes violent world of high school.
Jerry Renault is not the best-liked kid in his school. He barely had any respect, even though he is the quarterback for his school’s football team. In the beginning Jerry had lots of friends. But no one knew what is in store for Jerry. Jerry had no idea how his life is about to change.
Heroes are not always credited for their honesty and righteousness. This is the view towards society that Robert Cormier exhibits in the novel ¡§I am the Cheese¡¨, where the individual is punished for standing up to himself. In this society, the non-valiant are rewarded for their ignorance and compliance, narrated through the characters of Grey and Whipper. Moreover, Robert Cormier portrays this society to be void of truth and justice. This is seen through exploring the innocence behind Adam¡¦s parents¡¦ suffering and death. Nevertheless, the author holds reserve for truth and justice when Adam tries to complete the puzzle of his past.
Inspired by the actions of his son, Robert Cormier decided to write this novel titled The Chocolate War. Cormier’s son Peter, had refused to sell chocolates at his school’s annual sale as a matter of principle (Kemp1), so Cormier thought that it would be an interesting plot for a book. In this book, Robert Cormier introduces us to many characters that personify evil in order to try to control and manipulate each other to gain power. The concept of power is represented in many different ways throughout this novel. In this paper I will explain how power is represented in The Chocolate War, and how it works. I will explain the different kinds of power that operate in the school. Also I will explain whether the protagonist Jerry Renault fails or succeeds and why.
Murphy expresses how justifying bad deeds for good is cruel by first stirring the reader’s emotions on the topic of bullying with pathos. In “White Lies,” Murphy shares a childhood memory that takes the readers into a pitiful classroom setting with Arpi, a Lebanese girl, and the arrival of Connie, the new girl. Murphy describes how Arpi was teased about how she spoke and her name “a Lebanese girl who pronounced ask as ax...had a name that sounded too close to Alpo, a brand of dog food...” (382). For Connie, being albino made her different and alone from everyone else around her “Connie was albino, exceptionally white even by the ultra-Caucasian standards... Connie by comparison, was alone in her difference” (382). Murphy tries to get the readers to relate and pity the girls, who were bullied for being different. The author also stirs the readers to dislike the bullies and their fifth grade teacher. Murphy shares a few of the hurtful comments Connie faced such as “Casper, chalk face, Q-Tip... What’d ya do take a bath in bleach? Who’s your boyfriend-Frosty the Snowman?” (382). Reading the cruel words can immediately help one to remember a personal memory of a hurtful comment said to them and conclude a negative opinion of the bullies. The same goes for the fifth grade teac...
Books like The Chocolate War, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and Of Mice and Men have been placed on the controversial bookshelf of many school libraries.
1. In the book The Chocolate War, the protagonist is Jerry Renault. The Vigils are a gang who bully other students at Trinity High School. In the beginning of the story he is given a challenge by The Vigils not to sell any boxes chocolate at the school's annual fundraising sale. This is shocking as Brother Leon, who is the chairperson of the sale, instructs The Vigils to assist with the sale. Jerry initially complies with The Vigils' challenge, and doesn't sell any chocolate.
Robert Cormier's novel The Chocolate War surrounds the main protagonist Jerry Renault and shares his experience in attempting to "disturb the universe" that is Trinity High School. At Trinity it is quickly noted that there isn't much difference between teachers and students. Brother Leon, a teacher at Trinity, holds power over the students but Archie Costello, a fellow student at Trinity, holds power over the students as well. These two characters, plus a not-so-secret group of students known as The Vigils make it very hard to realise who holds the power around Trinity.
Meghan Cox Gurdon, the author of “The Case for Good Taste in Children’s Books,” is a children’s book critic for the Wall Street Journal along with several other publications. She talks about how the books that are aimed for young adults in their fictitious novels are detailed in unpleasant ways that may be unsuitable for young readers that are impressionable. Though some agree that books should not be so disturbingly graphic, Gurdon contradicts herself by supporting certain classics and also commits fallacies such as hasty generalization and inappropriate appeals.