Chocolate War Literary Anaylsis

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The themes of character and integrity are apparent in Robert Cormier’s, The Chocolate War. Cormier made the main character Jerry no stranger to adversity. With his mother dyeing and having a small frail body, in order to survive Jerry was going to have to overcome. He sees his opportunity comes when the annual chocolate sale arrives. Should he participate like everyone is told to, or go against the grain and disturb the universe-a poster posted in his locker that stares back at him every day. Cormier shows that going against the grain is not easy and having the character and integrity to stick with it is even tougher. Trinity High School is an all boys private school and has a tradition that all the boys must sell boxes of chocolate every year to raise money. When Cormier was young he too went to an all boys private school, so he knows firsthand what it is like in that atmosphere. The social order of the school calls for strength, cunning and survival of the fittest. Archie, leader of the gang Vigils, has a presence that everyone fears. Archie is in charge of making sure everyone is selling their chocolates and earning enough money. As for Jerry, he made a bet with some of the guys that he could go ten days without selling the chocolates. Making this bet would raise Jerry from a nobody to a somebody and be “one of the guys”. Jerry went the ten days, after which he is called into the head master’s office to see Brother Leon. Although the sale is voluntary Jerry is pressured by Brother Leon to participate. ‘Now, what is your answer? Yes or no? ‘No.’ The Goober stared at Jerry in disbelief. Was this Jerry Renault who looked a little worried, a little unsure of himself even after completing a beautiful pass, who always seemed kind of bewildered-was this him actually defying Brother Leon? Not only Brother Leon but a Trinity tradition (Cormier 84-85)?
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