Human’s Power AbuseThe Chocolate War by Robert Cormier has the forces in the novel that would compel us to call a “dark vision of the human condition.” This novel accentuates how the people misuse their own power. As we see in the book, there is Archie Costello who is the leader of the Vigils at the Trinity High School. The Vigils were under the control by Brother Leon who was vulnerable person in order to be successful. Archie Costello specializes in making assignments that other students have to complete. These assignments vary, depending on the person, and intend to inflict as much psychological injury as possible. Archie is a master at psychological warfare and uses to remain in power. Archie's cruelty reaches levels that are quite unbelievable. Because Archie and other gangsters in Vigil have power to control those weak students, they use their power to make them to get into trouble and to stress out. The Chocolate War is very realistic and tragic novel because it reflects how theder conformity and it gets harder for people to break out from the shells. We live in a cruel, cold society where weak ones become strong ones’ prey. Those of unfair fact represent the dark side of the human condition. If those people stop being selfish and take care of weak people, the society we are living in would be called a “light vision of human condition.”In our society, we can be roughly divided into two kinds of condition such as good and bad. According to this novel, it also shows us two of people’s inner side which are light side and dark side. The Chocolate War shows the demands of tribalism, which compromises our humanity by fright, peer pressure, humiliation and anxiety.Everyone at the Trinity High School, even the Vigils are afraid of Archie. Archie remains the control of the school and he is the one who deserves to be disliked; however, because they are afraid of Archie, they can’t say anything. Fright is the reason of students doing anything what Archie is telling themre forced to do. They are afraid of disturbing the universe, which led to ditching Jerry from the students in the school. Even if they have contemplated disturbing the universe, they are simply too afraid to. It causes Jerry apart from the rest of the people in the school. Although Vigil is afraid of Archie, he does not stop what he is doing. Therefore, Vigil does not let down his plan on his downfall in most dangerous ways as possible.Peer pressure is the main theme in this book, particularly the pressure to remain silent and toe the line. In chapter 6, Brother Leon gives a lesson on political connivance, and that is ironic because the fact that Leon is being the leader of the message. "You turned this classroom into Nazi Germany for a few moments”. As the story goes by, the book gives steps of fascist techniques used by Leon and the Vigils. At the end of the chocolate sale, peer pressure is first expressed by the misinformation. The false figures of individual progress are announced nnounced his false information, he felt no pressure and walked away without saying anything "He willed himself to feel nothing. He didn't feel rotten. He didn't feel like a traitor. He didn't feel small and cowardly." Cormier, however, does intend the reader to see cowardice and treachery in both the individual and group behavior.Brother Leon delights in humiliating his students. Leon first humiliates Bailey, then the rest of the class. He uses the same method as Archie: intimidation. In a sense, he completes his own assignment by both thinking of and delivering the punishment. Also like Archie, Brother Leon chooses a completely innocent victim. Bailey is the subject of this particular encounter not because he's done something wrong, but because he never does anything wrong at all. Brother Leon starts asking him why you are so perfect. Bailey is totally scared of what Leon asking because Bailey knows if he answers “I don’t know and I am not perfect, sir,” Leon will humiliate him in frod the weak people.The coach insults Jerry, but he leaves the field promising himself that he will one day make the team. This scene in the novel tells the characteristics of Jerry that shows how he is really brave and has courage enough to stand his physical pain. The book shows Jerry actually can knock 6 times and come back 7times. Even though he is really strong, he has the unforgettable pain inside him. His mother is dead and because of that he gets nausea easily. Even Archie has courage even though he never picks up the black marble from the box. However, the book tells his courage of his own convictions. The scene where Archie denied the psychological tactic time is over and it will be clear to have just the physical bullying. Among all the students are expressed as cowards, not joining the Jerry and the boycott, because they are too scared to Jerry overcome revenge of Archie. The majority of the school does not join not out of respect of the school nor fear of Brother Leon, but n004.
At Trinity High School, has a conflict with the school gang, The Vigils. The Vigils, headed by Archie Costello, specialize in making assignments that other students have to complete. These assignments vary, depending on the person, and intend to inflict as much psychological injury as possible. Archie is a master at psychological warfare and uses to remain in power. Archie`s cruelty reaches levels that are quite unbelievable. He demonstrates that cruelty without abandon, using it to manipulate anyone who stands in his way, or anyone he simply decides it would be fun to manipulate. He manipulates everyone in The Vigils to supporting his plans, he manipulates every student who gets an assignment, he manipulates Brother Leon and he manipulates the entire student body.
Where I’m Calling FromFrom story of “Feathers,” the characters’ silences are crucial for interpretation, especially for understanding the seemingly perplexed ending of the story, and the silences appear more frequently than other stories. In addition to various implied silences such as references to characters' nods, nudges, shrugs, stares, grins, or blushes instead of oral responses that might seem more appropriate, explicit references to characters' inability to speak abound throughout the story. Jack describes someone's silence several times such as "I hung up the phone"; "Fran didn't answer"; "We didn't say the word out loud"; Olla "Didn't seem to have any more to say"; "Nobody said anything." Of the several direct references to silence, all but one refers to Jack or Fran's unwillingness to speak. Jack and Fran don’t have conversation usually, and they are worry about activity of society. Also they don’t have any kids; as a result, it means they are afraid of activity of society. Accordingly, silence plays a role in the breakdown of Jack and Fran's marriage, for it depicts their inability to communicate, a lack of communication that occurs between two characters in the story. Also it is really dangerous that they didn’t know about they are in depression. Another story “Elephant,” there is a man who suffers from his life of desperation. His brother, Billy, owed him five-hundred dollars and the man made the payment on brother’s house because his job went. His mother, his ex-wife, ex-wife’s lover, his daughter, and daughter’s boyfriend didn’t make the man to live his life smoothly. Everyone is on the payroll and he needs to feel wanted. His self-esteem must be in the toilet. When he worked he had some money; however, he spent all for family and others. He was no longer hopeful person and became enabler, since he spent all money and help people around him. However, he knew about the truth that if he cuts off the money, he will be lonely and he cannot stand loneliness. It is sad that he cannot escape out of loneliness by himself.
The bitter as a medicine life to sweetest as a candy lifeJeff Henderson had an experience of fall because his poor circumstance. He was fatherless since he was very young, and their parents were divorced. After their divorced, always Jeff was left alone. Even he met his father, but not often. Therefore, his grandfather did not love Jeff’s father, it received him no moral guidance from his father. And his mother was busy to work, so he was filled very lonely and sad. Since he had no one to take care of him, his grandfather took care of him and loved him, but still not enough and needed parent’s love. As time goes by, lacking of love from parents made him to commit a crime at his early age.Jeff Henderson had an experience of fall because he learned stealing by his grandfather. Jeff used to help his grandfather’s work which was cleaning the Laundromat, when he was around seven. And his grandfather taught him to steal by showing his stealth. He had seen his grandfather was stealing money from laundry machine. So, Jeff started to think about his grandfather as Robin Hood who stole from rich people to help poor people. His grandfather’s misguidance made him to steal sweets, a bike as he did not care a fart about it. As he was getting older, strongly he was hard-wired to take in order to feed his appetites, and he repeated the mantra: “I gotta get mine.” Therefore, he didn’t realize it was illegal, just as natural.At last, Jeff Henderson had an experience of fall because he was selling drugs. He was earning a lot of money for selling of drugs. When he was on a roll, he was arrested by cops, it was his twenties. He was sentenced to nineteen and half years in prison. Hence, he spent his great miserable and desperate time for him to think back his life. Unfortunately, he moved to different prisons while he was confined. He married a woman who named Dana, and it wasn’t successful marriage for him. The time in the prison was majority changing himself, and his turning point in his life.After he suffered his grate fall experiences, he matured his mind. While he was spending his time with desperation; he had a chance from prison officer to work in the kitchen. He started to wash tons of dishes early in the morning. During he was working in the kitchen, he was interested in bakery part. This curiosity made him to have his passion and dream of cooking. Working in the kitchen with Big Roy’s crew was a big chance to expand his dream after volunteering for extra duty instead of dish washer.When he released from prison five years later, he got another opportunity to work at restaurant, Gadsby’s. For he worked at the restaurant, he could learn more new things about cooking, and developed his skills by his mentor, Chef Robert. He taught Jeff to be a professional chef, although he was copying Robert’s dishes first. However, he was the only one who improved Jeff’s skill and expanded Jeff’s dream for cooking and made him strongly.After he left from Gadsby’s restaurant, he extended his career at many other places, but he still tried to do something else. And then, finally his passionate made him eminent African American to be named chef de cuisine at Caesars Palace Hotel in Las Vegas, and the executive chef at Café Bellagio. He was becoming famous African American chef in America and Europe. His experiences and careers made encouraging for many of people who had passion and dream about cooking. Also, he appeared in reality TV show and talked about how he was overwhelmed his troubled youth. That made people to be a passionate and a fervent for their goals. After that, he published his books about cooking which became New York Times Best Seller later. And now he lives in Las Vegas with his new wife and three children very happily.Jeff Henderson was into fall because of poor circumstances, stealth, and selling of drugs; however, his journey towards redemption by cooking in prison, working at the fields, and becoming a professional chef de cuisine at Caesars Palace Hotel and the executive chef of café Bellagio Hotel.
Egotism is Defeated by EmpathyEgotism in the stories of Raymond Carver has grave consequences, which include idiotic suicide, ignorance, and misunderstood brutality. In contrast, empathy has a healing effect on the downtrodden evidenced by caring, trusting, and loving each other by maintaining a good relationship.In one of the stories, in the book Where I’m Calling From called What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, has grave consequence which is idiotic suicide. Terri tells her friends a story about a man named Ed, who used to love Terri so much he tried to kill her because his love is extremely uncontrollable. Terri says that Ed showed his love abnormally before he committed suicide but she understands how much Ed loved her. However Terri’s friends do not understand how Terri understands Ed because, as stated above, Ed tries to kill Terri, even by beating her up. However, Terri says she wasn’t able to love Ed anymore because of his extreme love and soon enough, she finds Mel, whoome his own insanity. Now that the time has passed, Terri thinks Ed as one of her memories but Mel remembers Ed as an idiotic suicide.Ignorance counts as one of the grave consequences of egotism. In Cathedral, there’s a couple who are married, and there’s a blind man, visiting their house. Today in this world, people seem to ignore the handicapped people just because they’re incapable of their physical or mental disability. This story tends to show that situation how the man feels or deals with when there’s a blind man, Robert, around him. When the man’s wife sends letters and tapes to the Robert, he gets somewhat jealous but also doesn’t understand why she’s so committed of doing that, especially to the blind man. He doesn’t understand his wife more because she supports Robert for years by sending him tapes. Finally, when the blind man comes over to the couple’s house, the husband thinks inside of him how “creepy” Robert’s eyes are and how the blind man needs “a pair of dark glasses.” Small, Good Thing, there’s a family- Dad (Howard), Mom (Ann Weiss), and a son named Scotty. One Monday morning, it is Scotty’s birthday that her mom goes to a bakery and orders a birthday cake. She doesn’t like the man who stood at the counter in the bakery because he makes her feel uncomfortable by talking less than necessary. She doesn’t care much and she leaves after buying a cake for her son. Then unfortunate comes to the family. Scotty gets into an accident and he becomes unconscious, and becomes in a state of coma. Meanwhile, someone keeps on calling the parents, remarking something about their son. Their parents become over-irritated because of the man who called. Finally when the man calls again saying that the ordered cake has been disintegrated and became rotten, the parents now remember the cake they reserved for Scotty’s birthday. They become furious and their anger doesn’t become any better.On the other hand, the story of Cathedral also shows empathy in the wife’s heart. are of Robert and considers him as a beloved friend. She tells him, in a tape, about her life, her husband, etc as if she is talking to her best friend. Then Robert sends a tape back to her about his life, his concerns, his dream, and everything that he can possibly share with her. This cannot be done unless a person is caring from the bottom of their heart. This can be decided as an impossible work to usual people. However it was possible because it was the wife in the story.Likewise, the story of Elephant shows a trust that cannot happen in usual lives. Money is something that almost all the people are sensitive of. Lending money and borrowing money are the two opposite situations that people go through often. There’s a sibling in this story- a brother and his younger brother- and the younger one borrows money from his only brother and says that he will owe the money by the promised date. Since the older one is very loving towards his family, he decides to lend his money to his youngnce his situation is getting worse. When the older brother heard that, he calms his mom and says that he will give his own money if that happens. Elephant shows how difficult it is to have a decision to trust someone or whatever it is because it is hard to make sure that the person (or whatever it is) will benefit you or make you happy.Last evidence of empathy would be in the story of What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, As stated in above paragraph, Terri and Mel go through a harder relationship comparing to others because they need to understand each other more than necessary (because of the past). However the other couple mentioned in the book, Laura and Nick love each other simply and preciously. It’s a simple love because they don’t have any serious problems like the other couple did and it is adorable how they seem to blush when they look at each other. Sometimes this kind of simple love looks more appealing than a complicated love. Loving each other with their heart is alit.