I just finished reading Cormier's The Chocolate War and I'm more than a little frustrated. Jerry Renault is all set up to "disturb the universe" and rebel against his injust and oppresive private catholic school (in four posts I have already had to attack catholics twice mind you) but, instead, he just takes an ass whoopin and says "I should have sold the damn chocolates." (In not so many words, or maybe a few more).
This is such a morbid look at adolescent males. None of them have any emotional connections, they all beat off in the bathroom, and almost all of them are sadistic, evil bastards. If this is a realistic look at the world then life sucks. At least Jerry could have continued to rebel and leave us with some sense of justice beyond what Brother Jaques may or may not do to Archie. And on that note, who thought Archie would pick the damn white marble? Raise your hand. Give us something Cormier.
And there is no way that any school would let the students have a private "pep rally" on the football field.
The mob mentality of the students really got me too. These people are so sick that nobody tries to stop what is happening? And what the hell was Goober doing just sitting there too afraid to act? I wanted to reach in the book and give a virtual back-hand to that guy. I guess I just have an overwhelming sense of depression stemming from this book. I think I'm gonna sit in my room with the latest Hawthorne Heights album and slit my wrists with an unwound paper clip.
An interesting similarity between this story and Speak (to change the subject) are the parents. They are completely unable to connect with their children on any emotional level. What is YA trying to say by having all these types of parents? Have they really lost all ability to love and care for their children? Certainly the institution of the family has been cracked and all but destroyed in these books. There is no caring base of "home" where the adolescent can feel safe. Instead they are emotionally void places where the main characters only find more hostility. Certainly, there is a change in the family dynamics in this age but how drastic is it? It seems very drastic in these books and all around as well, even in the 70's when The Chocolate War was written.
Kids these days...
