The Chocolate War

Cormier, R. (1974). The chocolate war. NY: Delacorte.

Jerry Renault is a freshman at Trinity.  He is trying out for the football team, their mean Mr. Leon is running the school in the head master's absence from an illness.  He doubles the chocolate bar sales to help save the school.  Each boy must sell 50 boxes for 2 dollars each. There is a group of students call the Vigils and they pull boys into deads.  Jerry's is to refuse to sell the chocolate bars.  He does as they ask but after 10 days he is supposed to change and say yes, but he doesn't.  They then decide to teach him a lesson since the others are stopping sales.  They send a boy to beat him up and then harass him.  They make a raffle to get him in the ring to fight and it gets busted up by the headmaster. 

This story did not set well with me.  I felt so sorry for Jerry and his life circumstances of losing his mother and his dad not really being there for him.  The awful Mr. Leon, I can't imagine a teacher being so horrible and allowing such things to happen in a school.  This story would be good to look at for conflict and character development.  I would think 11-12 grade students possible 10th grade advanced classes. 

Conflict is a major part of this story.  Jerry has conflict with the vigils by continuing to refuse to sell his share of the chocolate bars.  He also has conflict with Mr. Leon because of refusing to sell the chocolates as well.  The conflict comes to a head at the end when the vigils set up a fight between Jerry and another student.