Robert Cormier Essays

In The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, Jerry Renault, a teenage boy, refuses to sell chocolate. At Trinity high school there’s a group of students who are known as the Vigils. These kids are the ones assigning other students to do bad things. Each assignment that is being given is different. To begin with, Trinity high school does a fundraiser each year. For this year’s fundraiser each kid at Trinity is to sell chocolates. The leader of the Vigils is a guy by the name of Archie. He assigns a freshman

too. It’s a laugh, Goober, a fake. Don’t disturb the universe, Goober, no matter what the posters say.” (Cormier 259) This statement made by Jerry to Goober at the end of The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier sums up Jerry’s experience in not conforming to the expectations of his school and his peer group. It is easier to follow the crowd than to stand up for what you believe in. Robert Cormier uses Jerry’s experience in refusing to conform and participate in his school’s chocolate sale to highlight

guilty, and no matter what you say you will be found guilty. You must comply, the students, the headmaster, everyone is on my side, and I will stop at nothing to make you comply. From Mr. Trent to Harry Flowers, Mr. Hairston to Archie Costello, Robert Cormier makes strong use of psychological manipulators to drive some of his main characters close to or past a point of breaking that often give his writings their dark tones. The issue of manipulation is a keystone of the relationship between Harry Flowers

With a title like The Chocolate War you would think it is nothing more than a feisty Willy Wonka fan-fiction, but this book has more caused controversy than you would believe. Published in 1974 by Robert Cormier, the book has received praise from many critics and has won several awards. What was supposed be seen as an innocent tale about a young boy being a leader of a cult has been challenged by several schools and has been officially added to the American Library Association's list of banned books

Robert Cormier explores the unavoidable ideas of reputation, manipulation, power and violence through his captivating teenage novel “The Chocolate War.” These four components of the novel are deeply analyzed and scrutinized through the protagonist and antagonist in order to leave the reader thinking about their lives and the world around them. Cormier uses the idea of reputation throughout his novel to highlight both the emotion of which the protagonist, Jerry endured whilst he contemplated “disturbing

the halls. Robert Cormier uses both a student and teachers point of view to create a powerful novel that involves both the abuse of power and evil within. Looking back on the events of his son’s and his life, Robert Cormier not only shows the battle of power and evil, but also how the 1970s and 1980s impacted his life the most in The Chocolate War. Understanding a little about Robert Cormier will help understand how he came to be as a writer and how it influenced his novel. Cormier

There are several differences between Robert Cormier’s The Chocolate War and its movie adaptation by Keith Gordon however there is as many, if not more, similarities. Both the book and the film follow the major theme of disturbing the universe, which is essentially what Jerry does throughout the plot. The term “disturbing” is to interfere with the normal arrangement or functioning of something. In a literal sense, the term “universe” is a world in which something exists or prevails, but in a figurative

War by Robert Cormier in many ways. One major theme of The Chocolate War is to be yourself no matter what other people think. Jerry spoke his mind about not selling the chocolates like everybody else. Jerry did not do this because he wanted attention, he did it because he wanted to say no to the system at Trinity. He was being himself in a world that was trying change him and make him something he is ultimately not. Emerson’s quote has a major relevance to The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier because

their hands. 10) The main setting of Robert Cormier's novel The Chocolate War, published in 1974, is Trinity High school, an all-boys high school. The story is set in the time span to capture Jerry’s start of his Freshman year in high school, to the end of it. The author decides to use a straight line approach to the time, as he switches between different point of view to give a more descriptive narrative. With this straightforward manner, Cormier adds emphasis to Jerry Renault’s characterization

Stephen King’s Cujo is definitely not a book for all ages, but it is appropriate for students in high school. By the time you get to high school, you’ve already been exposed to foul language and violence. Reading this as a 10th grader, I had no challenge in reading the book, it was a fairly easy read and did not take very long to read. Swearing is used frequently throughout the novel, maybe even excessively in some scenes. In particular, almost every time Gary Pervier speaks he swears. Within his

In both “The Chocolate War” and “DNA” the bullies are presented as mischievous and threatening characters throughout. In the play “DNA” we have a psychotic gang leader called Phil who dictates to the rest of the gang members with his iron fist. However in “The Chocolate war”, we have Archie Costello who rules through manipulation and the tradition of the vigils and the box of marbles. Both “The Chocolate War” and “DNA” contain other supporting bullies and victims, for example in “DNA” we have Cathy

and a Dream III” by J. Cole and the short story “The Moustache” by Robert Cormier. Through both texts there is a similar theme, as well as a similar analysis strategy. The common analysis strategy through the texts is conflicts with themselves or with others. J. Cole emphasises this theme by summoning memories of a conflict he had with himself in the past and how he had a dream, but not enough money. On the other side, Robert Cormier emphasizes the theme through Mike 's grandmothers conflict with her

Effects in the Past for The Mustache “The Mustache” a short story by Robert Cormier. Tells the story of a kid named Mike has a nana who is sick in the nursing home. When he goes to visit her, she thinks he is her dead husband. She tells mike, who she thinks is her husband, that she is sorry for something she was wrong about. One theme from “The Mustache” by Robert Cormier is that things in the past affect you for a long time. In the beginning of the story Mike's mom tells how

Risky Robert It is 1974 and a middle aged man finally has accomplished his life goals. He has written a massive success story, but is immediately met with backlash with threats to get the book taken away completely. He could have easily complied to all demands from the critics, but he takes the risk of a lifetime that could put his whole career at risk. This is the exact risk that Robert Cormier took which dignified his position as a legendary author. His novels through the mid to late 1900s made

the rich and the poor, dark and light, love and hate….these opposites seem to coexist in our world peacefully, never veering off the path life has made for them. They say opposites attract, but how do they attract within us? The book Heroes by Robert Cormier contains the recurring theme of love and hate, making the story more emotional and complex as it develops. Events throughout the story help to contribute to this theme and emphasize the importance of it. The “love triangle” occurring between

semblance of patriotism or terrorism. Eventually, individuals from both sides will suffer. After the first death by Robert Cormier, published in 1979, is a book about how adolescents are influenced by their elders. It is a book about a bus full of innocent children being held hostage by a group of four terrorists fighting for their unspecified country; somewhere from the middle-east. Cormier in the guise of terrorism, discusses many other issues such as patriotism, betrayal, innocence, and the effects

Have you ever felt so reprehensible and responsible for someone else’s actions that you wanted to die? It sounds exaggerated, but in Heroes, Robert Cormier makes it seem relatable and realistic. In the story, Francis Cassavant's depression and iniquity lead him to become suicidal, so he joins the army to try and die heroically. These characteristics determine his actions through the story and help develop him as a real person. In Heroes, we learn that Francis has always had a low self-regard, even

In the story, “The Moustache,” written by Robert Cormier, a teenage boy goes to visit his grandmother, with a new moustache that he grew out. Sometimes in life people feel confident about something, but through the support and guidance of others they can have a new perspective. In the beginning of the story, Mike tries to grow out a moustache to see if he can. He promised his mother that after he finds out if he can grow one, he will shave it off. This is not true though because once he grows it

lifestyle this child was provided with. The parents were injured, but are looked at with angry eyes, no pity involved. This effect, consisting of disregarding actions and placing the blame on another individual, is extremely evident in books of Robert Cormier. The repetition of child corruption in Cormier’s novels, influence readers to overlook the brutal actions of psychologically damaged adolescents. In his novel, The Rag and

The novel ‘Heroes’ by Robert Cormier features a young war veteran, Francis Cassavant, who returns to his childhood home of Frenchtown from serving in the Second World War and has suffered severe deformities from a fall “on a grenade” which has led the readers to sympathise him and to believe that he is a “poor boy”. Francis has returned to Frenchtown with a specific purpose of killing Larry LaSalle, who is first portrayed as the glamorous and perfect man with a “smile that revealed dazzling movie-star