Verified Document

Chocolate War -- Do I Term Paper

Jerry must overcome his own sense of powerlessness, and the sickness that overtakes his body after being buffeted from all sides. Emotionally and physically, although he may appear weak, Jerry has inner resources of steel that he discovers when he is, literally and figuratively, down for the count and up against the ropes like a fighter. Later in the novel, when Jerry continues to ignore Brother Leon's command to sell chocolate, Jerry is told that he has 'guts' again. He experiences the profound realization that his nonconformist stance has empowered other boys, who hated the domination of the school authorities and the Vigils whose abuses the brothers tolerate because they enforce the administration's will and discipline. "I never thought of saying no. Just like you did," marvels an older boy. (125) "We have tradition on our side. The chocolate sale is an annual event. The boys have come to expect it," says the brother sanctimoniously at the beginning of the year. In reality, the chocolate sale, like all enforced traditions, has become an instrument of control of the brothers over the boys. If one boy flaunts school discipline and suggests that the other boys need not obey the brother's every whim, the system will begin to crack. Jerry's decision not to sell occurred on the spur of the moment, partly in ignorance of school traditions, but he realizes he has more power as an individual than he ever knew.

Jerry cannot triumph because the brothers enlist other boys to act as examples of model citizens who sell chocolate -- even though these Vigils are some of the cruelest and most ruthless boys in the entire school. "The Vigils was a...

(69) the brothers are so determined to exercise their command that their real responsibilities of caring for the students and teaching the students are forgotten, just like Jerry's father has forgotten how to be a parent. When adults shirk their responsibilities, adolescents are thrown to their own devices, devices that may be moral and uncompromising like Jerry's character, or corrupt like the character of the Vigil boys. "Christ, there's more to life than a lousy chocolate sale," Jerry says to himself at the end of the novel. (227) but he pays dearly for his defiant disturbance of the universe. This is Jerry's final, last, and most painful lesson -- that morality does not guarantee someone an easy life, or a happy ending. At the end of the novel Jerry is forced to physically fight for his stance in a rigged boxing match that eventually results in his being taken away in an ambulance. Brother Leon, of course, turns a blind eye, merely satisfied that his boxes of chocolate are sold. Jerry's only prize is not victory, or even winning the hearts of everyone at the school, but the final, quiet certainty that he does have guts, and that he has retained his moral center in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. His actions have meaning and a lasting impact, even though Jerry's story does not have a conventional happy ending. The happiness Jerry earns is all inside.
Works Cited

Cormier, Robert. The Chocolate War. New York: Laurel Leaf…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Cormier, Robert. The Chocolate War. New York: Laurel Leaf Books, 1974.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Chocolate One of the Most Seductive and
Words: 935 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Chocolate One of the most seductive and pleasurable foods, enjoyed everywhere in the world, is chocolate. Chocolate is a slightly psychoactive substance but it has some health benefits when consumed in its purest forms and in moderation. Much of what is sold as chocolate today, such as the candy bars in the check-out aisles in grocery stores, barely approximates the richer varieties of the confection like the brands produced in Europe.

Chocolate Health the Health Benefits
Words: 1712 Length: 5 Document Type: Research Proposal

L.; Hutfless, S.M.; Ding, X. & Girota, S. (2006). Chocolate and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review. Nutrition and Metabolism, 3(2), Halliwell, B. (2003). Health benefits of eating chocolate? Nature, 426(6968), 787. Hannum, S.M. & Erdman, J.W. (2000). Emerging health benefits from cocoa and chocolate. Journal of Medical Food, 3(2), 73-75. Hudnell, J. (2006). The Secret History of Chocolate. World Famous Comics Community. Online at http://www.comicscommunity.com/boards/hudnall/?frames=n;read=985 Keen, C.L. (2001). Chocolate: Food as Medicine/Medicine as

Chocolates and Baseball: Classy Combination
Words: 592 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Big City Chocolate Company Challenge Proposal for Chocolate Gift Baskets for Big City Tech's Baseball Tournament Bryan Thompson, Athletic Director 1804 Technology Way, Big City, Florida 33999 Dear Mr. Thompson: Thank you very sincerely for your interest in the Big City Chocolate Company providing unique chocolate presentations for the teams that are coming to your campus for the regional postseason baseball tournament. Our company is proud and pleased to have provided your fine school with unique

Chocolate Chip Cookies and Rubrics: Helping Students
Words: 318 Length: 1 Document Type: Term Paper

Chocolate Chip Cookies and Rubrics: Helping Students Understand Rubrics in Inclusive Settings by Elizabeth W. Hall and Susan J. Salmon explains the importance of using rubrics in the classroom and contains useful information about the use of rubrics for the teachers and students alike. The article effectively explains the usefulness of rubrics for students in understanding the performance expectations of different assignments, as a self-evaluation tool for assessing their strengths

Chocolate Products Commercials
Words: 411 Length: 1 Document Type: Term Paper

Symbolism, Advertising and Chocolate By far, the most overused symbolism to sell chocolate is sex. Chocolate is sexy and women eating chocolate are even sexier. Beyond sex, chocolate is synonymous with fun, love, and even patriotism. Let us consider some of the most obvious advertising schemes. What they are really asking the consumer to buy? An old but very common image is found in the Hershey Company's advertising for its chocolate bar.

Chocolate Value Chain Analyzing the
Words: 4765 Length: 15 Document Type: Thesis

The use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) on individual chocolate packing is making it possible to know item-level inventory positions within the largest retailers for example including Wal-Mart, an early adopter of this technology (Zhou, 2009). The use of RFID is also excellent at managing traceability of specific lots or delivery portions of chocolate (Pacyniak, 2006). With the many quality management concerns within the industry as a result of

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now