The Chocolate War: Post #5 - Now I know why this book is called "The Chocolate WAR".

Summary pgs.156-263

Don't you just love confrontations?  Well, Archie does not in his case.  When he ran into Brother Leon, he received a very vital warning from him:  if the chocolate sale goes down the drain, he and the Vigils will also go down the drain.  The next day, in the gym, Archie literally begged Jerry to sell some chocolates.  Jerry still (involuntarily) answers no, until Archie told him his new assignment.  This time, Jerry had to say yes, and accept the chocolate offer.  Later that day, numerous events begin to occur to him: prank phone calls, vandalism near his locker, taunts from his peers...  He thought they must all be connected to the whole chocolate scandal.  The following day, as the sales were being counted, profits had mysteriously skyrocketed up!  Brother Leon hears about this news, and he was (barely) overjoyed.  He still had his mind set on Jerry.  While doing the routine roll call, he asks if Jerry will accept to sell the chocolates, and Jerry (despite his assignment) still declines.  Tension greatly arises...  Everyone at school seemed to ignore Jerry, as if he did not even exist.  As Jerry left school that day, he was stopped by local tough guy Emile Janza, and received a quite brutal beating from him.  Eventually, he drives him away by vomiting, as a cause of this bruises.  Why does everyone seem to hate Jerry at this point?  The answer should lie ahead...  That same night, the school's big raffle was taking place at the football stadium, and Archie came up with a plan to do away with the chocolates Jerry owed.  The Renault boy had to be placed in the ring, head-to-head with Emile Janza, in a brawl to get even with him.  Jerry was frightened to the point he was shaking in his boots.  Janza impatiently started the fight by giving a blow to his jaw.  Jerry desperately tried to fight back, but unfortunately to no avail.  During the showdown, Obie notices someone familiar blending in with the large crowd: it was Brother Leon.  With a final uppercut by Emile, Jerry was knocked out.  Leon and a few other faculty members rushed over to assist, and Obie called an ambulance.  Archie reveals to everyone that this act was done just to support the school, and to help Brother Leon.  All the chocolates Jerry refused to sell were sold, and this was apparently his punishment.  Brother Leon reconciles with Archie, Obie, Emile, and the rest of the Vigils, ending the thick tension.  As Jerry was hauled away to the hospital with a damaged jaw and severe pain in his body, Archie and the Vigils swore not to ever pull off a stunt like this ever again... even if it does mean trying to make a large profit by selling chocolates.



Quotation Explanation
"Jerry pondered the question.  What should he do?  Play a game?  Tell it straight?  But he wasn't sure if it would make sense if he told it straight, especially to a roomful of strangers" (Cormier 169-170).

My Reaction
To be honest, I was very surprised with the epic climax.  In fact, I have never read a novel with a climax that put almost every main character into trouble.  The denouement also made me feel a bit sympathetic for Jerry.  Unfortunately, Cormier does not refer to him in the final chapter.  Hopefully, he would be able to recover soon if this book ever had a sequel.  I am pleased that Brother Leon and the Vigils set aside their differences, so everything is restored to normal at the school, and everyone seems to be getting along with each other... well, in the way they can of course.  I have really enjoyed this Bildungs-Roman, and I will definitely look into Robert Cormier's other works as well!