Themes: Courage and Cowardice

"I've got guts," Jerry whispers to himself in the first chapter after getting up from a heavy tackle on the sports field. Tackled three times in a row, Jerry is insulted by the coach but leaves the field determined to make the team. This opening scene portrays Jerry as a character who possesses the bravery to endure physical pain. He can rise again after being knocked down and return for more. However, he is also troubled by another kind of pain....

Themes: Peer Pressure

Peer pressure plays a crucial role in the novel, especially the pressure to stay silent and conform. In Chapter 6, Brother Leon delivers a lesson on political connivance, which is the act of enabling wrongdoing by not speaking out against it. Cormier effectively communicates multiple ideas simultaneously. The irony is evident when Leon, the messenger, turns the classroom into a momentary "Nazi Germany." As the story progresses, both Leon and the...

Themes: Victim and Victimization

The interaction between Archie and Emile Janza in Chapter 15, who share similarities, is portrayed from Archie's perspective. Archie victimizes Janza by pretending to possess a compromising photograph. Meanwhile, Janza is seen victimizing a young freshman, forcing him to fetch cigarettes. "The world was made up of two kinds of people—those who were victims and those who victimized," Archie observes. His self-awareness and honesty with himself...

Themes: Individualism

In Chapter 6, Leon hypocritically commends Bailey for being "true to himself." However, when Jerry displays this same trait, Leon does everything possible to break his spirit. It's crucial to recognize that Jerry's refusal to participate in the chocolate sale is never rooted in any principle related to the sale itself. Initially, he is merely following a Vigil assignment. Extending the boycott beyond the ten-day task is an act of personal...

Themes: Good and Evil

Brother Leon's manipulative and sadistic nature is evident in Chapter 16, where he tricks Caroni into providing information about Jerry; in Chapter 24, where it is revealed that he misappropriated the school's funds to buy chocolates; and in Chapter 38, where he downplays Jerry's severe beating by saying, "Boys will be boys..." Archie exercises malevolent control over Trinity as The Vigils' Assigner. His manipulation, intimidation, and fear...

Themes: God and Religion

The initial chapters contain several biblical allusions. Jerry's tendency to think one thing while saying another is likened to Peter's denial of Christ before the Crucifixion: "he had been Peter a thousand times and a thousand cocks had crowed in his lifetime." Chapter 2 quickly establishes the setting as a Catholic school, where the students routinely engage in confession and receive communion. Observing the football field, Obie compares the...

Themes: Point of View

One of the most distinctive aspects of The Chocolate Waris its shifting narrative perspective. The chapters are generally brief, and it is rare for the same character's perspective to be continued in the subsequent chapter. Nevertheless, the "hero" or central character of the novel is unmistakably clear. The opening chapter invites readers to connect with Jerry Renault, a young quarterback who courageously rises after several hard tackles and...

Themes: Structure

Despite the novel's multiple perspectives, readers' empathy for Jerry is maintained through key moments that occur regularly throughout the story. These moments differ from the situations other characters face, as Jerry is the only one depicted with a life beyond school and the chocolate sale. While some minor characters are shown outside school settings, they are often engaged in phone calls about the sale or riding bikes to find chocolate...

Themes: Climax

Robert Cormier has expressed his admiration for detective stories, stating that they "always deliver a beginning, middle, and end, a satisfying climax or epiphany." The conclusion of The Chocolate Waris undoubtedly climactic but also quite unconventional. Our anticipation of a typical showdown, where the protagonist might get injured but ultimately triumphs, is subverted by the absurd conditions under which Jerry and Emile must fight in the final...

Themes: Symbols and Imagery

In this novel, Cormier's use of imagery underscores the setting within a Catholic school, with religious symbolism permeating much of the narrative. Jerry’s defeat is portrayed as a form of crucifixion, though there is no straightforward allegory intended. Instead, the subtle biblical references invite readers to interpret the novel's events in broader, possibly metaphysical terms.

Themes: Setting

The majority of The Chocolate Warunfolds at Trinity, a Catholic boys' school. Aside from its athletic and football fields, there is minimal visual description of the school provided to the reader. Cormier focuses more on character development than on setting. However, it is crucial for understanding his work to recognize that he often sets his young adult fiction in and around the small town of Monument, a fictional representation of his own...