Essay about The Representation of Power in Cormiers The...

Inspired by the actions of his son, Robert Cormier decided to write this novel titled The Chocolate War. Cormier’s son Peter, had refused to sell chocolates at his school’s annual sale as a matter of principle (Kemp1), so Cormier thought that it would be an interesting plot for a book. In this book, Robert Cormier introduces us to many characters that personify evil in order to try to control and manipulate each other to gain power. The concept of power is represented in many different ways throughout this novel. In this paper I will explain how power is represented in The Chocolate War, and how it works. I will explain the different kinds of power that operate in the school. Also I will explain whether the protagonist Jerry Renault†¦show more content†¦In chapter 3 we are reminded that The Chocolate War is also a coming of age novel. When Jerry looks at the pornographic magazine, he is now beginning to want to know and understand the processes of adolesce nt and adulthood. So he buys a magazine with the curiosity of what kind of satisfaction the other kids were receiving by glaring at the images in the magazines. He is in that stage of wanting to be accepted. Cormier made Jerry’s character out to be an outcast, being the one that would always get beaten up by the bully. Which proved to be correct when Emile Janza, the school’s bully begins to pick on him. Although Emile was the school’s bully he too, respected the Vigils to a certain extent. Archie was also a bully, but he bullied the minds of the other kids. He did not resort to physical abuse but he indeed psychologically bullied people including Emile Janza. Fear also played a factor throughout this story. Fear is what made the Goober go into Brother Eugene’s room and loosen all of the screws from the furniture. This brings us back to the psychological bullying of Archie, because the Goober was mentally sick when he found out that the actions of his assignment had made Brother Eugene sick. The other students were also frightened by the Vigils so they to carried out any assignments that they were given. This story is written with a lot of hidden symbols and meanings within the events that occur. Jerry also feared the Vigils at first but as the story