Literary Devices in The Chocolate War
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
"Mallan," Leon was calling out."Seven""Let me see now Mallan. Why, that brings your total to forty-seven. […]"Goober shriveled in his seat. Next would be Permentier. And then Jerry. (30.4-7)Cormi...
Setting
The main setting of Robert Cormier's 1974 novel The Chocolate War is Trinity, an all boys high school in an unnamed New England town. As we discuss in "Writing Style" and "Genre" the various locati...
Narrator Point of View
The Chocolate War is told in the third person from the points of view of over a dozen different boys attending Trinity. Although quite flexible, the narrative is for the most part limited to the te...
Genre
The Chocolate War is very concerned with psychological terror. Archie and Brother Leon love messing with people's minds and are masters of psychological manipulation. They know what makes people af...
Tone
Tone refers to the author's attitudes toward the characters and the story, and even toward the implied readers. This might be the most hazy area of literary criticism ever. For one thing, we can't...
Writing Style
Gothic literature often relies heavily on both the setting of the story (in this case, school) and on the inner state of mind of the characters (in this case, messed up) to create its horrifying or...
What's Up With the Title?
The Chocolate War. Hmm. Sounds like what happens inside a chocoholic dieter faced with a platter of triple deluxe fudge truffles. Or maybe between rival chocolate manufacturers during the holidays....
What's Up With the Ending?
The ending isn't pretty. Some readers even call it pessimistic and depressing. None of the bad guys see the error of their ways, and seem primed to continue their reign of pain. Jerry is beaten by...
Plot Analysis
Welcome to Trinity!Early chapters of The Chocolate War introduce our hero, Jerry Renault who's beginning his freshman year at Trinity, an all-boys high school. Jerry seems like a nice guy, minding...
Trivia
Robert Cormier's favorite character is Archie Costello! (source).Cormier was an award winning journalist, who published a long standing "human interest" column Fitchburg-Leominster Sentinel and Ent...
Steaminess Rating
Nobody actually has sex in Robert Cormier's frequently banned The Chocolate War. But, there are frequent references to sex, sexuality, and masturbation. But, hey, is that really a big surprise, con...
Allusions
T.S. Eliot, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" (19.38, 28.61) Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels (31.37)William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice (35.7, 35.8)The Crusades (10.6)Nazis (6.55, 21...