Student Question
In The Chocolate War (chapter 5), why did Archie choose The Goober for an assignment?
Quick answer:
Archie selects The Goober for an assignment because he is inherently good and untainted, making him an ideal target for corruption. By assigning The Goober to unscrew the furniture in Room 19, Archie symbolically detaches him from his moral foundation, replacing it with deception and shame. This act corrupts The Goober, leading to his desire to quit the football team later as a means to cleanse himself and reclaim his goodness.
Archie is interested in spreading evil throughout the school. He chooses The Goober for an assignment because he is untainted and good. Archie can't resist the chance to corrupt this goodness, and he chooses the perfect assignment for him. By requiring The Goober to unscrew the furniture in Room 19, Archie is symbolically unscrewing The Goober from his moral foundation. Archie has detached The Goober from his goodness, and replaces it with deception (of Goober's parents) and shame. Once The Goober realizes what he has done, his corruption is complete. This is why he wants to quit the football team (Ch. 23), to cleanse himself of his connection to Trinity and to regain his lost goodness.
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