The Chocolate War Character Sketch

ENG4E The Chocolate War: Archie Costello

Lesson8

Inventing assignments for the Vigils and the turning his attention to, Jerry, Archie is introduced in Chapter 2 as "the bastard" with an uncanny ability to manipulate people. He annoys his stooge, Obie, with his "phony hip moods." It is Archie who delivers the first major assignment of the novel to Roland Goubert loosening the screws in all the furniture in Brother Eugene's classroom. His crucial role is established in Chapter 4, when Brother Leon invokes, through Archie, the Vigils' support for the upgraded annual chocolate sale.

Brother Leon

Brother Leon is the pale, and shady Assistant Headmaster. When the Headmaster becomes sick, Leon takes over management of the school. In his teaching he controls his pupils by being unpredictable with his ability to make examples of them, as in the cruel game he plays on Bailey in Chapter 6. It has been his decision to double the quota and the price in the annual chocolate sale, and the financial foolishness of this project leads him to seek the support from the Vigils.

Jerry Renault

Jerry Renault is the son of James Renault, a pharmacist. His mother has recently died. The reader's introduction to Jerry, in Chapters 1 and 3, is crucial. Together these chapters establish Jerry as a sportsman and a teenager with all the normal masculine urges, but one who goes out of his way to avoid confrontation. No matter how hard he tries confrontation seems to find him when he's given an assignment, to not sell any chocolates. From here Jerry goes on his own crusade to not do what every one else wants and chooses to continue not selling chocolate through to the end of the sale, meeting with Vigil's and threats and fights for going his own way.