The Vigils In Jerry Renault's The Chocolate War

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By the end of the novel, The Chocolate War, Jerry Renault was broken down mentally and ruined by the Vigils. The Vigils is a club of the school only some people can be in that give people assignments that they must do. They are very strong and have a lot of power. Jen Menzel states in her article, Intimidation in Cormier’s Tunes for Bears To Dance To, We All Fall Down, and The Chocolate War that, “The Vigils have the capability of pulling a few strings and making Jerry’s life miserable through ingenious strategies” (Par. 18). They are capable of a lot more than they let on, therefore the Vigils are master manipulators and try to ruin Jerry’s life. Archie is one of the main manipulators, head of the Vigils and is set to ruin Jerry in any way possible. “With the cooperation of Leon and the rest of the …show more content…

Brother Leon was tied into the whole fight with the school bully and set it all up, which could have led to Jerry’s physical death. Also he was a hypocrite to all of his students. Throughout the novel he always told his classes that they needed to be themselves and make their own choices in life, but once they did he was out to ruin their lives. Jerry would not do the school fundraiser of selling chocolates, even Brother Leon said that he did not have to, but once Jerry kept denying taking chocolates to sell Brother Leon teamed up with the Vigils and tried to ruin Jerry. Going along with Brother Leon being a hypocrite, Nancy Veglahn brings up the topic of Brother Leon acting the opposite way of what how thinks in her article, The Bland Face of Evil in the Novels of Robert Cormier. “Like Brother Leon, they may wear symbols of mercy without being merciful; they may hide their real intentions behind a pretence of charity and concern.” Brother Leon always said one thing and meant another causing the students to think the opposite way of what he

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