Title: The Chocolate War Author: Robert Cormier Pages: 120-172 Chapters: 18-25
SUMMARY:The Goober along with everyone else thinks that Jerry is carrying out a Vigil's assignment. However, they were all wrong. Jerry is refusing to sell chocolates because of his own little reason, not that anyone was coercing him to rebel. His actions were affecting many others in Trinity. Soon, most kids began to applaud for Jerry's rebelliousness and admired him. Even some of the seniors extolled him, astonished by his actions. Jerry exerted this young defiant vibe that began catching up to most of the students like a chain reaction. Archie's assignments now seem to be clear and patterned. He wants to ruin the brothers (teachers) and make them miserable. Brother Jacques' room faced almost the similar fate, students jumping on top of the table. It was all Archie's plan. He wanted everyone to be wild when Brother Jacques said the word "environment." The plan was to cross off that vocabulary word but Brother Jacques was aware of the plan so he turned the tables and kept saying the word until the students were exhausted. That was pretty amazing. The words had spread around the school. The seniors have started to follow Jerry Renault's idea. No one had thought about the idea of refusing to sell chocolates even though they were all exhausted of selling chocolates.
QUOTATION:"I'm getting sick of selling stuff. Jeez, my father's starting to call me 'my son, the salesman'" (Cormier 140).
REACTION:This quote is humorous and ironic. Trinity is the college prep school around New England according to the book. Trinity's annual chocolate sales have begun to turn the students to 'salesman' rather than preparing them for college and higher level of education. That is the irony. On the other hand, its funny how the parents go along with the school's tradition rather than questioning the school officials. This quote was said by Danny, a senior who is in agreement with most other seniors that are in the movement to use the idea of Jerry Renault. They are all sick and tired of selling chocolates, running up to people and beseeching them to buy their candies like beggars. Who would like that? Certainly, not me. This book is about to take a huge turn and who knows what’s going to happen. It is going to be exciting.
Title: The Chocolate War
Author: Robert Cormier
Pages: 66-120
Chapters: 9-18
SUMMARY: As Archie had planned, Brother Eugene's room collapsed as every chair and desks fell down. Brother Eugene felt miserable, gaping at his diminished room. Brother Leon rushed to the room and pushed Archie to the wall and admonished and yelled at Archie for all the damage he provided to the room. Leon couldn't do anything more because he had a deal with the Vigils in selling his chocolate boxes. Archie was smirking at his opus of destruction. At the football field, Jerry received a chance to prove to the coach his capability of making the team. Jerry snapped the ball and looked for a receiver. Carter jumped at him but was tackled by a defender. Jerry approached back, feeling the freedom, passed the ball to The Goober. Jerry was tackled but the pass was successful. The coach complimented Jerry and called him a "skinny son of a -----." This was how the coach appreciated a player into the team, calling them by the name. The Goober maintained a high rapport with the senior football players. It was time for accepting the chocolate boxes. Every kid replied as yes where as Jerry said No, rebelling against it. Jerry kept doing this for a week giving everyone a fear when Brother Leon will rage at the whole class. The story shifts to different characters. Tubs, a chubby kid with a beautiful girlfriend, was striving to maintain a financial level in order to buy his girlfriend Rita a necklace that she wanted so badly. He saved every cent from his allowance, slipping greasy dollars from his father’s pocket and the chocolate box money. Rita actually loved him for who he was. He bought her the gift counting the money plus tax. They went out on a picnic and she let him get closer to her. He received the ultimate chance to touch her body parts although he was shy. Now, panic strikes Tubs. How is he going to pay for the chocolate box money that he used to buy Rita a necklace?
QUOTATION: "Suddenly Jerry spotted Goober's waving hand. Jerry avoided fingers that tore at his sleeve and he unloosed the ball. Someone brushed his hip but he shrugged off the blow. The pass was beautiful" (Cormier 77).
REACTION: My ultimate reaction was very exciting with intense emotions. Personally, I have never read a book that actually intensified my emotions until The Chocolate War. While reading this quote, I felt like I was in a football field right next to Jerry watching the beautiful pass fly by. Recently, I have developed an interest in football and this quote elated me from my bed. It's amazing how books can actually drill a hole into the reader's mind so furtively prowling inside until you strike back to reality. Now that Jerry is executing a rebellious side, the book will be even better.
Title: The Chocolate War
Author: Robert Cormier
Pages: 1-66
Chapters: 1-9
SUMMARY: The book is narrated in a third person omniscient viewpoint. Jerry Renault is the protagonist in the story. The story starts off in a football field setting where Jerry is crushed by the game. Jerry wants to play football but he is not so good at it so the coach tells him to practice more. The school (Trinity) is literally ran by a group called 'The Vigils.' They are supposed to be unknown/under cover and no one dares to even whisper their name although every one knows about them. The president is Carter who is in the football team but he doesn't control the group. The assigner's name is Archie Costello and he controls the whole group. Everyone is afraid of him and exalt him of his wisdom and quickness. The school has teachers who are also afraid of Archie. Brother Leon is one of the ignorant teachers who always trick his students into a trap. Brother Leon implored Archie
in helping him sell twenty thousand boxes of candies. By Archie's help, he meant 'The Vigils' help but he couldn't say the word. Jerry's mom had passed away and he is alone with his dad who works overnight shifts and doesn't have so much to talk to Jerry. Jerry thinks that his dad's life should be very insipid because there is no excitement. Archie has an assistant whose name is Obie. As Archie picks a boy from the football team, Obie writes down the person's name and his information. Archie then assigns the job. The Vigil's notebook has more information from family history to medical records compared to the school's record book. Archie assigns 'The Goober’ who is a new boy in the football team to loosen all the screws in Brother Leon's room overnight. When Archie assigns an assignment, there is a pin drop silence and the vigils surround the person who takes the assignment. There is a black box which contains six marbles: five of them white and one of them black. If the assigner picks the black marble, he has to carry out the assignment but Archie had always beaten the box for 3 straight years.
QUOTATION: "But everyone knew that the head of The Vigils was The Assigner, Archie Costello, who was always one step ahead of them all" (Cormier 32).
REACTION: My reaction was that Archie is beautiful. His wisdom shakes the knees of the whole Vigils with ease. Wisdom is stronger than strength. The president was Carter, the muscle Archie needed to keep things in order. His errand boy was Obie who followed his instructions although he hated him. The ways Archie responds and assigns things are amazing. This quote alone proves how strong Archie is. He is just a skinny guy but mentally he is the strongest and smartest. You cannot defeat the power of wisdom with physical strength. The book is written in a third narrator omniscient view so it feels like the reader is in the story spying over all the characters. The tense situation brings out the chills. Comparing it to the film To Kill A Mockingbird, it is almost as if the reader is Boo Radley, viewing things in his perspective.
