Freshman Jerry Renault has received an assignment from The Vigils- the secret club at the all boys private school he has just started. It should have been an easy prank: for the first week of the school chocolate sale refuse. That's all. But Jerry takes it all the way, refusing to sell any chocolates EVER. This causing a big problem for The Vigils, and big problems for The Vigils could mean big trouble for Jerry, big enough to cost him his life.
The chocolate war is one of the most surprising books I read this semester. Most educators know that students can be cruel, but the dominant educator in this novel, Brother Leon, is more than cruel. He is down right evil. Not only does he know about The Vigils forcing students to complete assignments, he uses their influence to further his position in school. When Jerry is nearly beaten to death in front of the entire student body he does nothing to stop it and merely shrugs it off with "we'll see that he gets the best care." While I was appalled by the portrayal of a teacher in such a manner, The chocolate war does exemplify the three levels of moral development as discussed by Kohlberg. Before he meets The Vigils Jerry doesn't break any rules so as to avoid punishment. After he gets his assignment he still does not sell chocolates so as to follow the school rules but in the end he is willing to give his life for what he believes to be virtuous thereby reaching the post conventional level of moral development.
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