The Vigils In Jerry Renault's The Chocolate War

By the end of the novel, The Chocolate War, Jerry Renault was broken down mentally and ruined by the Vigils. The Vigils is a club of the school that only certain people can be a part of, they give people assignments that must be completed no matter what they are. The Vigils are very strong and have a lot of power in the school system. Jen Menzel states in her article, Intimidation in Cormier’s Tunes for Bears To Dance To, We All Fall Down, and The Chocolate War that, “The Vigils have the capability of pulling a few strings and making Jerry’s life miserable through ingenious strategies” (Par. 18). They are capable of a lot more than they let on, therefore the Vigils are the master manipulators in the novel. Archie is one of the men with the
Once Barney first laid eyes on Cassie he couldn't help but fall in love with her, thus leading him into falling under her spell. Patty Campbell explains Barney’s feelings and Cassie’s manipulation in her book, Daring to Disturb the Universe: “Barney takes one look at beautiful Cassie and is instantly in love with her. She, seeing adoration, manipulates him into becoming a “tender spy” and giving her daily reports on Mazzo’s condition” (124). Barney never sees that she is lying to him and he believed she wanted to be around him. He did everything he could to make Cassie talk to him, even if they had to talk about Mazzo. He never thought that a girl like Cassie would fall for a guy like him:
“Suddenly, surprisingly, she kissed him. Her lips on his lips for a brief moment, her body pressed against him, immersed in the clean soap smell of her. Him, Barney Snow, big ears, scruffy hair, bowlegged. And dying. Kissed by this girl, Cassie Mazzofono, whom he loved, who was looking at him now with such tenderness and affection and maybe even a flash of love, gone as quickly as it came but shining out of her for a sweet instant here in this twilight room.” (Cormier
His novels are filled with negative adult influences that manipulate young characters. Disney and Dream-Works also are filled with negative adult influences that are not always noticed, but people argue that Cormier’s literature should be banned. “Cormier is no Disney,” but his stories portray some of the same influences as Disney. Should Disney be banned? Most children's favorite movies or stories, gone? Cormier writes about the real world and does not try to sugar coat it, the only difference between him and Disney/Dream-Works are the endings. So before anyone tries to get his work banned think about how almost every show, movie, or book has some sort of negative influence on other characters. Cormier sends strong messages to his readers with relevant issues and is enjoyed by many people. All of Cormier’s novels are great examples of manipulation through negative adult influences that affect younger characters and show real world problems that will be relevant for years to