The Chocolate War

Over the last few days I have been reading The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier.  This book has been on my radar for a long time, and I had been putting off reading it until I could sit down and thoroughly enjoy it.  It was very much worth the wait.  It wasn't exactly what I thought it was going to be be (although what do you expect with a title like The Chocolate War?), but it was a very engulfing read that was over before I knew it. 

The story has a main character, but the novel does not revolve around him entirely.  It has a shifting point of view, going behind the thoughts of many of the characters.  The two characters that readers follow the most are Jerry, the "hero," and Archie, the "villain."  There are other minor characters that give multiple vantage points, and so the novel has a realistic texture that captures the mind of the young adult male even though the story is fictitious.

Premise
The setting is Trinity school for boys, a private school run by priests.  Father Leon is the acting Head Master, and it is clear from his introduction that he is sadistic.  He thrives on the humiliation of his students, manipulating and punishing them to his own personal gain.

The main narrative of the story picks up with the beginning of the annual chocolate sale.  Out of all the students, only Jerry refuses to sell the chocolates.  This jams a stick in Father Leon's spokes.  Leon can't understand why anyone who refuse to help out the school.  It comes out that Jerry is acting on behalf of an assignment by the school secret society.  However, once the assignment ends and Jerry continues to refuse to sell chocolates, the world is inverted on its axis.

Comments
There are quite a few themes that can be discussed, it is impossible to fit them into one blurb.  One of the most important aspects, however, to keep in mind when reading this novel is the power roles:  Who has the power?  Who wants the power?  Who is the powerless?  How does this change by the end of the novel?

Another aspect that is very interesting and needs to be addressed is the part when Jerry is confronted by Emile, a bully, and is called a homosexual.  There is a line where Jerry expresses that there is nothing worse in the world than being accused of being gay.  The reason this is such an important line is because it sheds light on a juvenile male anxiety of sexuality.  It is perhaps a truism that teenage males, regardless of their sexual orientation are afraid of being humiliated for their emerging sexuality.  This axiom is clearly expressed by many of the characters throughout the novel.

The theme of authority is interestingly presented in this novel.  The teachers of the novel seem to pose and direct opposition to the students, while the parents are all absent.  Jerry's father is in the novel, but only as a means of showing how disconnected Jerry is with his nuclear family as the result of his mother's death.  This is a recurring theme in fiction for young adults.  The idea of the nuclear family is dissolved in one way or another.  Additionally, the parental figures are shown in positions in which they have become powerless, or at least have little power over the actions of the young adult character.

So, I recommend this to everyone, but especially to teen-aged boys 13-17.