Summary:
The story was dark, really. These last few chapters, where Jerry was being admired for his defiance of the Chocolate Sale, The Vigils hunt him down, causing a hatred and alienation for Jerry. Since The Vigils took park in the sale, it would be pure rebellion to defy the rules of The Vigils, hence, Jerry refusing to sell chocolates even after his 10 day assignment. The novel ends with a fight between Janza, where all actions are picked from a paper in a hat. Rather odd, really. Long story short, it was a great novel. Jerry realizes the hard way that being indifferent and defying authority can be a real pain in the kicker.
Quote:
"No," Carter snorted. "Renault doesn't have to go around putting up posters. He's been saying screw The Vigils for weeks now. But this shows what's happening. The word is speading. If Renault can get away with defying us, other people are gonna try. (Cormier 183-184)"
Reaction:
I find it funny how Jerry's assignment (assigned by The Vigils), made him totally avoid the chocolate sale as a whole. I mean, it was Archie's idea for him not to sell chocolates, and now he's intimidated that he isn't selling chocolates under his order. Odd, huh? Anyways, I felt bad for Jerry during the 2nd 1/2 of the novel, he underwent a serious mental change, questioning himself, life, rules, society, and etc. The fight at the end was odd too, it was like playing shoots and ladders; Move up two paces, put fist in stomach. Anyways, big read on this post here, but I would sure love to see the movie of this novel! ;P Also,the ending was great, its almost like I was reading the first few pages of the novel again; Archie hungry for chocolate, and Obie following Archie's orders.
Monday
TCW Post #4: Pages 132-174
Summary:
The whole school is bragging about how Jerry continues to refuse to sell chocolates. No one, not even The Goober knows why, until readers find out that it is Jerry's assignment from The Vigils not to sell chocolates for 10 whole days. Even after this, Jerry says no, and does not know why. Jerry is soon after called oon to a meeting of The Vigils where Archie explains to him that people should do what they don't want to do, therefore giving him a chance to make up for all of the chocolates he didn not sell. Brother Leon is really on his toes too, he's really pissed at The Vigils, and the fact that not enough chocolates had been sold. Leon constanly scrutinizes Jerry that he is speadding a 'disease', where none of the boys at Trinity are selling their quota of chocolates. According to Archie, 'freshmen should have enough school spirit to sell chocolates.' Also, alot of blackmailing has been going on in these pages, blackmailing of the dirty sort. :P
Quote:
"So what?" This is what infuriated Obie_the way Archie tried so hard not to be impressed, to always play it cool. You could tell him that The Bomb was going to be dropped and he'd probably say "so what?" It got under Obie's skin, mostly because he suspected that it was an act, that Archie wasn't as cool as he pretended to be. And Obie was awaiting his chance to find out" (Cormier 146).
Reaction:
I gotta say, the novel has gotten pretty dramatic as of now. I didn't really expect Jerry to still say no even after his assignment was over but man, he's got gots, for real. My view of The Vigils has changed dramatically, as well. I thought The Vigils were like an 'super secret underground academics group', but I was wrong. It's like an anarchy group working within the school. Now, on the quote... I love it. It shows Obie's true feelings of jealosy towards Archie, that he just 'acts' cool to impress. Meh, I kinda like the idea though. It's like Obie is Archie's best friend, but he's really waiting to stab him in the back sooner or later. On another note, the blackmails came as a shock to me. XD
The whole school is bragging about how Jerry continues to refuse to sell chocolates. No one, not even The Goober knows why, until readers find out that it is Jerry's assignment from The Vigils not to sell chocolates for 10 whole days. Even after this, Jerry says no, and does not know why. Jerry is soon after called oon to a meeting of The Vigils where Archie explains to him that people should do what they don't want to do, therefore giving him a chance to make up for all of the chocolates he didn not sell. Brother Leon is really on his toes too, he's really pissed at The Vigils, and the fact that not enough chocolates had been sold. Leon constanly scrutinizes Jerry that he is speadding a 'disease', where none of the boys at Trinity are selling their quota of chocolates. According to Archie, 'freshmen should have enough school spirit to sell chocolates.' Also, alot of blackmailing has been going on in these pages, blackmailing of the dirty sort. :P
Quote:
"So what?" This is what infuriated Obie_the way Archie tried so hard not to be impressed, to always play it cool. You could tell him that The Bomb was going to be dropped and he'd probably say "so what?" It got under Obie's skin, mostly because he suspected that it was an act, that Archie wasn't as cool as he pretended to be. And Obie was awaiting his chance to find out" (Cormier 146).
Reaction:
I gotta say, the novel has gotten pretty dramatic as of now. I didn't really expect Jerry to still say no even after his assignment was over but man, he's got gots, for real. My view of The Vigils has changed dramatically, as well. I thought The Vigils were like an 'super secret underground academics group', but I was wrong. It's like an anarchy group working within the school. Now, on the quote... I love it. It shows Obie's true feelings of jealosy towards Archie, that he just 'acts' cool to impress. Meh, I kinda like the idea though. It's like Obie is Archie's best friend, but he's really waiting to stab him in the back sooner or later. On another note, the blackmails came as a shock to me. XD
TCW Post #3: Pages 86-131
Summary:
Things in Trinity are really starting to heat up now that the chocolate fundraising project is in place. Even though Brother Leon enthusiastically introduced the project and its purpose, nobody seems to reallybe willing to buy chocolate anymore, making the extra 50 boxes to sell a burden of a task. Local neighbors wont even bother buying ONE to help the school! Also, as states from the back cover of the novel, Jerry's 'loyalty' is being tested by The Vigils.
Quote:
"He turned over, dismissing his doubts and calling to mind the figure of a girl he'd seen downtown the other day. Her sweater had bulged beautifully, her schoolbooks pressed around her rounded breasts. If my hands were only those books, he'd thought longingly. His hand now curled between his legs, he concentrated on the girl. But for once, it was no good, no good" (Cormier 123).
Reaction:
I'm actually kind of dissapointed. I mean, I was kind of expecting the difficulties of selling a total of 50 boxes of chocolates, but I'm kinda sad. It kinda makes me think about today's world: Nobody is willing to spend a few bucks when it comes to helping something/someone. In this case, a school. Also, the quote that I picked, I kinda like how we can see his 'love birdy-ness' now. We can obviously tell he likes girls with big boobs, and that he would rather have her an his shoulders than 50 boxes of chocolate. I'm still eager to read till' the end of the novel, though (aside from it's predictiveness -___-).
Things in Trinity are really starting to heat up now that the chocolate fundraising project is in place. Even though Brother Leon enthusiastically introduced the project and its purpose, nobody seems to reallybe willing to buy chocolate anymore, making the extra 50 boxes to sell a burden of a task. Local neighbors wont even bother buying ONE to help the school! Also, as states from the back cover of the novel, Jerry's 'loyalty' is being tested by The Vigils.
Quote:
"He turned over, dismissing his doubts and calling to mind the figure of a girl he'd seen downtown the other day. Her sweater had bulged beautifully, her schoolbooks pressed around her rounded breasts. If my hands were only those books, he'd thought longingly. His hand now curled between his legs, he concentrated on the girl. But for once, it was no good, no good" (Cormier 123).
Reaction:
I'm actually kind of dissapointed. I mean, I was kind of expecting the difficulties of selling a total of 50 boxes of chocolates, but I'm kinda sad. It kinda makes me think about today's world: Nobody is willing to spend a few bucks when it comes to helping something/someone. In this case, a school. Also, the quote that I picked, I kinda like how we can see his 'love birdy-ness' now. We can obviously tell he likes girls with big boobs, and that he would rather have her an his shoulders than 50 boxes of chocolate. I'm still eager to read till' the end of the novel, though (aside from it's predictiveness -___-).
TCW Post #2: Pages 41-86
Summary:
In these pages, we start to get a feel of the 'unity' of the students at Trinity, or the student-teacher relationship. Bailey, a high honor student in one of Jerry's classes, had his courage put to the test by Brother Leon, when he was questioned on why he always got good grades and good test scores, and that he cheated to get good grades. The interrogation went on to the point where Leon questioned if Bailey was 'godlike', because only God was perfect, and he asked Bailey if he though he was perfect. Bailey stood his ground, and proved himself worthy to his teacher and classmates, by station he didn't cheat over and over again. We are also introduced to a few more characters in this section, Emile Janza, one of the 'bad boys' of the school, who, besides his 'dominant' attitude, is afraid of Archie and the Vigils. Also, the assignment the Goober was assigned to previously is now in effect. We also get a chance to see Jerry's view of his mother's early death. With this bit, readers can truly understand the pain Jerry is going through without his mother, and putting up with a 'broken' family.
Quote:
He turned to Bailey, touched the top of his head with the pointer as if he were bestowing knighthood. "You did well, Bailey. I'm proud of you. You passed the biggest test of all--you were true to yourself." Bailey's chin was wobbling all over the place. "Of course you don't cheat, Bailey," his voice tender and paternal. he gestured toward the class-- he was a great one for gestures. "Your classmates out there. They're the cheaters. They cheated you today. They're the ones who doubted you- I never did."
Leon went to his desk. "Dismissed," he said, his voice filled with contempt for all of them (Cormier 46-47).
Reaction:
Regarding Brother Leon's interrogation to Bailey, I was shocked. Is a Private/Catholic school really like this?, I wondered. Do teachers really get the right to undermine you in front of all of your classmates? Aside from the interrogation itself, I love its conclusion, where Leon explains that he is clearly not a cheater, and that his classmates are, for not having faith in their fellow classmate, Bailey. These interrogations are probably usual, though, since, at the beginning of that chapter, the students are prepared for one of Leon's usual 'acts'. I'm starting to like this novel more now, very interesting, peering into the lives of 'delinquents'. >:D
In these pages, we start to get a feel of the 'unity' of the students at Trinity, or the student-teacher relationship. Bailey, a high honor student in one of Jerry's classes, had his courage put to the test by Brother Leon, when he was questioned on why he always got good grades and good test scores, and that he cheated to get good grades. The interrogation went on to the point where Leon questioned if Bailey was 'godlike', because only God was perfect, and he asked Bailey if he though he was perfect. Bailey stood his ground, and proved himself worthy to his teacher and classmates, by station he didn't cheat over and over again. We are also introduced to a few more characters in this section, Emile Janza, one of the 'bad boys' of the school, who, besides his 'dominant' attitude, is afraid of Archie and the Vigils. Also, the assignment the Goober was assigned to previously is now in effect. We also get a chance to see Jerry's view of his mother's early death. With this bit, readers can truly understand the pain Jerry is going through without his mother, and putting up with a 'broken' family.
Quote:
He turned to Bailey, touched the top of his head with the pointer as if he were bestowing knighthood. "You did well, Bailey. I'm proud of you. You passed the biggest test of all--you were true to yourself." Bailey's chin was wobbling all over the place. "Of course you don't cheat, Bailey," his voice tender and paternal. he gestured toward the class-- he was a great one for gestures. "Your classmates out there. They're the cheaters. They cheated you today. They're the ones who doubted you- I never did."
Leon went to his desk. "Dismissed," he said, his voice filled with contempt for all of them (Cormier 46-47).
Reaction:
Regarding Brother Leon's interrogation to Bailey, I was shocked. Is a Private/Catholic school really like this?, I wondered. Do teachers really get the right to undermine you in front of all of your classmates? Aside from the interrogation itself, I love its conclusion, where Leon explains that he is clearly not a cheater, and that his classmates are, for not having faith in their fellow classmate, Bailey. These interrogations are probably usual, though, since, at the beginning of that chapter, the students are prepared for one of Leon's usual 'acts'. I'm starting to like this novel more now, very interesting, peering into the lives of 'delinquents'. >:D
TCW Post #1: Pages 0-40
Summary:
The Vigils is a secret, almost 'non-existent' organization in the Trinity Catholic school, run by one of the 'biggest bastards' of the school, Archie Costello. He is considered the leader of The Vigils, giving out well thought out assignments to students, keeping the school in order. The plot revolves around a high school freshman, Jerry Renault, who had just recently lost his mother to cancer. Archie admires that Jerry had gotten himself beaten up at football practice, but still managed to walk away, that he recommended him to an assignment of his own, named chocolates. As far as I have read. I have no idea what the assignment involves, but it seems pretty down and dirty.
Quote:
"A screwdriver, then, can loosen as well as tighten, right?" "Right," The Goober said, nodding his head, eager, his attention fastened on the thought of the screwdriver, almost as if he were hypnotized, and Archie was carried on marvelous waves of power and glory, leading The Goober toward the ultimate destination, feeding him the information little by little, the best part of the lousy job. Not really lousy, though. great, in fact. beautiful, in fact. Worth all the sweat. (Cormier 34).
Reaction:
I'm finding the novel's plot to be very predictable, but then again, it's only the beginning of the book. The kind of narration bothers me though, it's a 3rd person POV, but it sort of bothers me. The narrator explains all of the characters' feelings, not just focusing on the main characters' feelings. I'm not sure, and the actions going on kind of seem to explain themselves as the story progresses... I'm not sure. The story seems interesting, and I like it, though. It's almost like it has a Junior Mafia in the school. xD
The Vigils is a secret, almost 'non-existent' organization in the Trinity Catholic school, run by one of the 'biggest bastards' of the school, Archie Costello. He is considered the leader of The Vigils, giving out well thought out assignments to students, keeping the school in order. The plot revolves around a high school freshman, Jerry Renault, who had just recently lost his mother to cancer. Archie admires that Jerry had gotten himself beaten up at football practice, but still managed to walk away, that he recommended him to an assignment of his own, named chocolates. As far as I have read. I have no idea what the assignment involves, but it seems pretty down and dirty.
Quote:
"A screwdriver, then, can loosen as well as tighten, right?" "Right," The Goober said, nodding his head, eager, his attention fastened on the thought of the screwdriver, almost as if he were hypnotized, and Archie was carried on marvelous waves of power and glory, leading The Goober toward the ultimate destination, feeding him the information little by little, the best part of the lousy job. Not really lousy, though. great, in fact. beautiful, in fact. Worth all the sweat. (Cormier 34).
Reaction:
I'm finding the novel's plot to be very predictable, but then again, it's only the beginning of the book. The kind of narration bothers me though, it's a 3rd person POV, but it sort of bothers me. The narrator explains all of the characters' feelings, not just focusing on the main characters' feelings. I'm not sure, and the actions going on kind of seem to explain themselves as the story progresses... I'm not sure. The story seems interesting, and I like it, though. It's almost like it has a Junior Mafia in the school. xD
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