WRITER 82

I think that Jerry Renault would be happy to come across a website like National Coalition Against Bullying (NCAB). The NCAB is an organization, which is located in Australia. The organization’s “objective is to promote a tolerant, inclusive, balanced society, for bullying to be on the public agenda nationally as a community issue that can and must be tackled, to raise awareness of the seriousness of bullying in Australian society” (2004).

Jerry, having been the victim of extreme bullying in “The Chocolate War,” would like this site because it’s aim is to make people aware of bullying and to stop it. It stands to reason that Jerry, Goober, Brother Eugene and countless other students at Trinity High School could have been safe from bullies like the Vigils if parents, teachers and students were more focused on finding and stopping bullies. Most of all, I believe that Jerry would like the NCAB website because it could prevent other students from feeling the pain that bullying caused Jerry. “Janza’s fist caught him at the temple, sending Jerry reeling. His stomach caved in as Janza’s fist sank into the flesh. He clutched at his stomach protectively and his face absorbed two stunning blows-his left eye felt smashed, the pupil crushed. His body sang with pain” (Cormier, 245).

The image represented in this post is that of the boxer James J. Braddock, “Cinderella Man”, who in 1935 won the heavyweight championship as “a ten-to-one underdog” (Braddock). This picture connects to “The Chocolate War” for a couple of reasons.

The climax of “The Chocolate War” ends with a boxing match of sorts. Sure, the structure of the fight diagrammed by Archie doesn’t follow conventional boxing guidelines but the principal is there, last man standing wins. Also, the more I read “The Chocolate War,” the more I felt as though I was watching the buildup to a fight. To me, everything from Jerry getting assaulted by Emile Janza and his goons to Archie and the Vigils supporting the chocolate sale seemed to function as a promotion of the inevitable showdown.

Also, Jerry, like Braddock, was a heavy underdog in his fight against the chocolate sale, Brother Leon, Archie and the Vigils. However, unlike Braddock, Jerry doesn’t appear to be the clear-cut winner of his fight because he ends up knocked down with the feeling that “there [is] something wrong with his mouth, his teeth, his face” (Cormier, 259). Nonetheless, Jerry, in never selling any chocolates, does end up winning his fight based on principal.

In all, I think the picture of James J. Braddock is appropriate for thinking about “The Chocolate War” because it symbolizes an underdog's fight against the odds.

To learn more about the writer behind “The Chocolate War” I read an article by Lyn Gardner in The Guardian, which gave me many interesting insights into Robert Cormier’s life. Also, in learning more about Cormier’s life I feel as though my understanding of the “Chocolate War” has been fleshed out.

The fact that the book was based on one of Cormier’s sons “who refused as a matter of principle to take part in his school's annual fund-raising sale…” (The Guardian) makes the story that much more tangible to me. Also, it has made me wonder if characters like the bloodthirsty Emile Janza, the cunning Archie and sympathetic Goober were people that Cormier’s son knew? The thought that these characters could be depictions of real people magnifies the positive and/or negative feelings that I have for them.


Also, the fact that Cormier was described, “as a bookish child, who was picked upon…” (The Guardian) makes Jerry Renault more intriguing as a character. Specifically, why was Jerry presented as being a student-athlete who played football rather than just a student who focused his energy on school? Was it because Cormier wanted the reader to feel as though Jerry had a toughness, which might help him defeat Emile in the climactic fight scene? Personally, I believe that Cormier made Jerry an athlete because he wanted him to be multidimensional in the way that people are and as such relatable to a wider range of readers.

Overall, learning about Cormier’s background has made “The Chocolate War” a much richer novel for me. Now, rather than just thinking about the novel in its own context, I think about it as a literary work that was created by a real person with real experiences.

In my most recent post I wrote about a character, Phil, that I felt Cormier should have included when he wrote “The Chocolate War.” Writing is curious in that it propels our thoughts, often without consent or prior notice. Thus, creating Phil made me wonder how Cormier might have introduced him in the novel?

In what follows, I will attempt to write a scene that allows for Phil’s entry into “The Chocolate War” and meets Cormier’s approval. My “missing scene” begins at the end of chapter two where Archie and Obie have been assigning tasks that the Vigils will give to unfortunate students.

As he stood across the field steadily observing Archie and Obie, hands in his pockets, Phil spit into the air as the wind passed by and carried it through an invisible upright. Phil was a junior at Trinity High School, he’d been around long enough to know the order of things but not long enough to accept it.

The Vigils had come after him once. It was his freshman year and a few humorous upperclassmen thought it would be amusing to have the quiet kid decorate the bathroom walls with an especially profane brand of graffiti. Phil, never having enjoyed art, declined the Vigils assignment. However, the Vigils, like love-struck teenagers, didn’t take kindly to rejection. One afternoon, not long after rumor had spread that a freshman had dared defy the Vigils, two seniors cornered Phil in one of Trinity’s many dim lit restrooms with the intention of forcefully persuading him to see things their way. Phil, never being unreasonable, agreed to paint the restroom walls. That day Phil used his powerful fists, hands that most students later viewed as concealed weapons whenever they rested in his worn denim pockets, to paint a dimly lit restroom red.

He was six feet tall and had a solid build that was accentuated with shoulders that sloped slightly forward. Phil looked like a prize-fighter but he wouldn’t throw a punch unless he was cornered. As he stood across the field steadily observing Archie’s widening smile, hands in his pockets, Phil’s fingers clenched around his thumbs, he was being cornered. “That’s it Renault, you’ve got fight, I can work with that!” Coach Smith yelled as Phil left the field.

I am almost halfway through the novel and have noticed that there is an obvious imbalance in “The Chocolate War.” While numerous unsavory characters are portrayed in the shapes of Archie, Brother Leon, the Vigils and Emile Janza, there aren’t many upright characters that are depicted. As a matter of fact, it could be argued that Jerry Renault is the only clear “good guy.” Sure, it seems like Goober is a nice guy but he doesn’t appear brave enough to stand up for himself, let alone anybody else. To even the playing field I think that Cormier should have included another strong character that would be willing to oppose the likes of Archie and Brother Leon.

However, since Cormier didn’t, I will. The character Cormier should have added would be either a junior or a senior at Trinity High School. The reason for this character being older would be to allow him to function as a mentor to Jerry and the other underclassmen.

Also, this character would try to protect others from Archie and the Vigils. He would be able to do this because Archie fears him for some reason. This character might have defeated Archie before.

The name of Cormier’s “forgotten” character would be Phil. I don’t really have a reason for the choice of name, it just sounds like someone that wouldn’t be afraid to take on injustice. I don’t think that the students at the school would know a lot about him. Phil could be someone who keeps to himself with the exception of when he stands up for other students that are being harassed by the Vigils. I think that Phil might begin to relate to Jerry for some reason and this could lead to a friendship or alliance of sorts.

What would Phil look like? Phil wouldn’t have a huge stature because then the reader might begin to wonder why he doesn’t just stop Archie and the Vigils with physical means of intimidation. However, Phil wouldn’t be too small either. Phil would be about six feet tall with a solid build, kind of like a boxer. He would have brown hair, which he covered with an old baseball hat that was bent down and partially hid his eyes. The mystery surrounding Phil’s past would be enhanced by his somewhat distanced physical appearance.

In all, Phil would have been an intriguing character for Cormier to include because he could have created more of a balance between the good and evil factions in “The Chocolate War.” However, maybe Cormier thought the novel would be more interesting if the playing field was uneven?

I have read the first eight chapters of Robert Cormier’s “The Chocolate War” and find myself wondering what will happen next? I could make one guess and leave it at that. However, I’d rather imagine that this story has more than one possibility right now.

Based on my reading thus far, I feel as though the story is being centered around the courageous Jerry, the manipulative Archie, the evil Brother Leon and the Vigils organization.

On one hand it wouldn’t be too difficult to imagine that the story will build towards a climactic showdown between Jerry, a somewhat unlikely hero as a freshman in high school, and the Vigils organization lead by Archie. I’m not sure as to what is going to cause this face-off but it feels like somebody has to stand up to Archie. There is something that makes me believe that Jerry won’t let himself be bullied even if times get tough. “I’ve got guts, Jerry murmured, getting up by degrees, careful not to displace any of his bones or sinews” (Cormier, 2).

However, maybe the story won’t focus on a fight between Jerry and the Vigils. It wouldn’t be impossible to picture a scenario where the students join together against the seemingly malevolent Brother Leon. Also, I find myself wondering if Brother Leon stands to achieve a personal gain from the students selling 20, 000 boxes of chocolates. Although Brother Leon should by all implications be a man who lives his life based on a strong moral foundation, there is something that makes it hard to trust him.

I don’t know what’s going to happen in the end. However, right now I find myself wishing that someone, anyone, would stand up to Archie, the Vigils and Brother Leon. The novel is titled “The Chocolate War” and I hope the war is won by good, not evil.