The Chocolate War (Pgs. 202 to 263)

Summary:

In the falling action of The Chocolate War, Leon is taking the sales and the people that are associated with them too seriously. For instance, if someone has sold 47 chocolates, he is excited to acknowledge that, that person only needs 3 more to meet their share of the quota. He would make a commotion when one actually does meet the 50 chocolate bars that they must sell. Leon persists calling on Jerry, and as usual, Jerry says that he will take no part. When it is inquired of Brother Leon by a boy named Harold why jerry refuses to sell chocolates, they claim that everyone has the right to know. Jerry tries to retalliate by claiming that he lives in a free country, however, Brother Leon does not deem that as a legitimate answer. Jerry reaches the conclusion that selling chocolates is voluntary in its entirety. Janza tried to provoke a fight and insults from Jerry; Janza wanted a pretext other than the fact that Jerry was refusing to sell the chocolates to beat him up. When Jerry was accused of being in the closet, he called Janza a SOB; before he knew it, they were on him.

Quote:

"Mainly, he didn't want to fight for the same reason he wasn't selling the chocolates—he wanted to make his own decisions, do his own thing, like they said" (Cormier 211).

Reaction:

This is the theme that is discussed in previous chapters about Jerry being an existentialist, and most people oppose his decision. The narrator says this when Janza is touching Jerry on the cheek and trying to provoke a fight by insinuating that Jerry is a homosexual. Jerry claimed that he was feeling capable of beating Janza in a fight, but was negligent to engage in it.I found out that Jerry paid physically for his refusal to sell the chocolates.

The Cocolate War (Pgs. 150 to 201)

Summary:

This portion of my reading (Chapters 22-29) opens up by talking about the chocolate sales once more, and how the sales are dropping significantly. Just when Jerry thought that the Goob, the football team, and him were clicking, Goober decides to quit. Goober's pretext for quitting the team was that there was some bad omen in the school, and Jerry suggested that, that omen might be The Vigils; Goober concurs. Tension rises between Archie and Brother Leon because the quota about doubled from the previous year. Brother Leon wants to use Archie because it is in his best interest to do so, since he is twenty grand in debt to the school. Leon suggests that Archie make The Vigils make Jerry sell his chocolates, and ultimately threatens him and The Vigils, that if the sales fall, then The Vigils will fall. Jerry was summoned and enticed some chocolates, Archie ended up assigning him to say yes during the roll call and accept the chocolates.

Quote:

"Everybody has to do things in this world they don't want to" (Cormier 172).

Reaction:

This quote jumped out at me primarily because I strongly agree with it and I believe that what it says is very true. However, Archie says this when he comes to the realization of as to why Jerry is being so adamant about not selling chocolates. This quote and the events that follow also revealed to me that Jerry is an existentialist. He had chosen to not take and sell chocolates, stuck with that decision, and at the end of the day he acknowledged that life was absurd. He made another choice as well, he decided to call all the Barrets in the phonebook in his endeavor to talk to that pretty girl. Nevertheless, he had made the call, taken a step, broken teh routine of his days and nights" (Cormier 177).

The Chocolate War (Pgs. 102 to 149)

Summary:

Chapter fifteen starts out with some dialect between Archie and Emile about a picture that, unknown to Emile, does not exist. Archie had been using the non-existing picture of a seemingly ridiculous situation to blackmail Janza. Brother Leon and Caroni are discussing Caroni's F when Brother Leon calls Caroni by his first name—David. It was unsual to see Brother Leon call him 'David,' as he seldom referred to any of his students by their first names, or else, in so doing he would be crossing the 'invisible line between teacher and student.' Ultimately, Brother Leon and Caroni end up talking about the chocolate sales and Leon demands to know why Jerry had not been selling chocolates. Caroni informs Leon that Jerry was doing it in behalf of the vigils and that he was protesting it for 10 more day, of which the tenth day happened to be the following day. Brother Leon hoped that Jerry would pick up on selling chocolates on the eleventh day, but apparantly, Jerry had different plans. Jerry decided to not sell chocolated after serving the 10-day term assigned by The Vigils because it had become personal to him.

Quote:

"There is an invisible line between teacher and student, he [Brother Leon] always said, and it must not be crossed" (Cormier 108).

Reaction:

I believe that this quote is true, however, I do not think that Leon is flexible enough with this standard. Although he was referring to Caroni by his first name that time, he was doing it for the purpose of giving Caroni false hope, or to toy with his mind. I can draw a distinction from this quote—we BPS kids NEVER call our teachers by their first names. While I can live with this form of respect and formality, I believe that having more intimate relationships with teachers is in everyone's best interest. If calling someone by their first name increases intimacy, ultimately, this quote led me to think why children don't call their parents by their first names; there is certainly a contradiction here.

The Chocolate War (Pgs. 39 to 101)

Summary:

Chapter six opens up by describing Brother Leon teaching personality. For instance, he would use some vulgar words in an attempt to shock, but also to look offensive; although he looked inoffensive, students later found out that he wasn't. Archie told Emile that he was beautiful, as in special. Archie was perhaps one of the few peole that Emile respected, and maybe even feared. In my reading, Jerry also recollects his mother's illness and her death. She was a very hard worker. Upon her death, Jerry and his father grew distant from each other, and he recalls them mourning over his mother at the funeral. The Chocolate sales begin and Brother Leon is taking a liking to being in charge and enjoying himself. Students must keep track of the number of boxes of chocolate that they sell. Mean while, the next morning in Brother Eugene's room Brian Kelly's chair collapsed when he touched it.
Quote:

"Brother Leon whirled around. "Are you perfect, Bailey? All those A's—that implies perfection. Is that the answer, Bailey?" (Cormier 44).

Reaction:

The question that Leon wanted an answer for was, "Why do you find it necessary to cheat?" (Cormier 42). Leon suggests that 'earning' A's is a sign of perfection, a feat that only god is capable of. However, how does Leon explain diligence and studying? Leon also implies that only Geniouses were capable of performing at such a level, and was pondering if Bailey was a genious, and that eventhough he looked like one, Leon doubted that he was. Of course, eventually, Leon was putting on an act all along. he established that Bailey's classmates were the feeble minded ones and the cheaters. I'm surprised that the class didn't realize these false accusations earlier. The only person that did protest, did so too weakly and to late.

The Chocolate War (Pgs. 1 to 38)

Summary:

In the exposition of The Chocolate War, we are introduced to Jerry Renault and what seems to be a disaster of his Football tryout. Tryouts  did not go well for Jerry and he had terrible nausea afterwards. We also meet Obie and Archie who seemed to have a conflict but end up cooperating with each other. Obie keeps a notebook of records, which upon Archie's request, several things about Jerry are revealed. Renault, Jerome E. was a fourteen-year old freshmen, and he was the son of a pharmacist named James. Jerry's mother had just recently died due to cancer. The story takes place at a private Catholic school and the problem was how to sell twenty thousand boxes of chocolate, should they decide to do so. Archie is the assigner for their organization called 'The Vigils' at Trinity, and he had to constantly come up with assignments and defy the black box.

Quote:

"That's why he was The Assigner. That's why The Vigils depended on him. Hell, The Vigils were the school. And he, Archie Costello, was The Vigils" (Cormier 29).

Reaction:

This quote is stressing the point that Archie was a very important and influential figure at Trinity. He is part of a gang-like organization where he assigns a member something and it becomes law. Everyone, including Obie, had high expectations of his assignments and creativity of those assignments. Archie claims to feel empty and used up after he assigns, although, he does not show it. What was interesting about this quote was that it indirectly stated that Archie Costello was the school. Instead, The Vigils were the School and Archie Costello was The Vigils, therefore, Archie Costello was the school. This was the reason that Brother Leon had sought out for Archie's help, when in reality, and although he did not dare recognize The Vigils, he was looking for their help.

The Color of Water (Pgs. 231-285)

Summary:

During the denoument of The Color of Water, James, Ruth, and Dennis make certain decisions. They face a lot of descrimination while living in Harlem, for instance, when Ruth got punched in the face by the building manager for being white. Ruth and Dennis decided to move to an apartment in Harlem and informally live together as husband and wife. Ruth and Dennis attend the Metropolitan Baptist Church and they are very fond of Reverend Abner Brown. Ruth also made the decision to fully follow the Christian faith and become more involved in the church. She was married and living with Dennis in the same apartment at Harlem, where they had four children in nine years, which she recalled to be the happiest years of her life.


Quote:

 "If it takes as long to know Jesus as it took to know you, I think, I'm in trouble. It took many years to find out who she was, partly because I never knew who I was. It wasn't so much a question of searching for myself as it was my own decision not to look" (McBride 261).

Reaction:

I believe that this quote is very important and very relevant to the entire book because it embodies religion and identity. The entire purpose of the book is for James to find his mother's origin in order for him to better understand himself. James ultimately does know his mother because he is able to write about things, such as the diffcult time Ruth was facing when Dennis died. They were never able to get around the fact that they were Jewish because when they sought for help from their Jewish family, they got doors slammed on their faces.

The Color of Water (Pgs. 169-229)

Summary:

Most of this portion of The Color of Water is narrated by James McBride's mother Ruth. While in New York, Ruth lived with her grandmother, Bubeh, and worked in her aunt Mary's leather factory. Ruth got to the point that she could not stand her aunt, and thus, moved around looking for jobs in a motley of locations. Living in New York became execptionally expensive, therefore, the family was inclined to move to Delaware. James became caught up in being a Jazz musician, he had an adequate musical background, but poor grades and SAT scores. Ruth and Dennis were eventually accepted as a couple, however, shock was the first expression of Dennis' Family and friends. James went down south looking for his mother's past, in order to be able to understand his own.

Quote:

"College was my way out. My Eldest brother's wife, Becky, had gone to Oberlin college in Ohio and she told me I should apply because they had a great liberal arts school, a conservatory of music, and most of all, scholarship money" (McBride 188).

Reaction:

Again we see these two themes of education and money. James has found out his interest of Jazz music and would like to pursue a career as a musician. Fortunately for James, Becky has reffered him to a Oberlin College, a college that would allow him to pursue his career while potentially costing him little or no money. As we know, James' family is relatively poor, with his mother scavenging for jobs wherever possible, living a hand to mouth experience. Having to feed, shelter, and put clothes the backs of a copious family of 12 siblings did not appease their economic situation. James was accepted to Oberlin College, in spite of his poor grades and SAT scores.

The Color of Water (Pgs. 107-168)

Summary:

In this part of The Color of Water, James discovers Jazz and embraces it to escape from race tensions. Ruth falls in love with a black boy, who seems to show great affection for her, by whom she becomes pregnant; she was reluctant to divulge her pregnancy to white folks. Her mother finds out of her pregnancy by finding her bracelet in her and Peter's secret hideout and is able to both keep it a secret and acknowledge Ruth's need to leave town for New York. The reasoning behind it being ideal to leave town, was because by being together, both the black man and white female's lives were on the line. James' biological father, Andrew McBride, had died when Ruth was still pregnant with James. Hunter Jordan became James' stepfather, and throughout the course of living on his own during the workweek, he would visit his family. He suffered from a stroke and upon recovery went to have a word with James, and advised him to take very good care of his mother and his brothers and sisters; he died shortly after that.

Quote:

"My new friends and I shoplifted. We broke into cars. We snuck onto the nearby Conrail/Long Island Rail Road tracks and broke into freight cars, robbing them of bicycles, television sets, and wine" (McBride 139).

Reaction:

This quote got my attention, because the behavior described in the quote does not correlate with Ruth's previous account of 'most' blacks. Ruth says that she liked her black friends because they did not belittle her or ask her personal background questions. She had said that the negative images of black boys portrayed on TV weren't the majority. She said that most blacks are peaceful and trusting, as opposed to being stupid murderers with guns, and that was why they were made a fool of so easily. At one point Ruth has to give it serious though of whether to announce her affairs with a black man or not, in cynical hope of people to be rational and understand how kind and caring he was, according to her. The reality was, that something like that would never happen; they would not be accepted as a couple and a black man would not be accepted as her partner.

The Color of Water (Pgs. 58-111)

Summary:

This portion of The Color of Water opens up by identifying racial clashes, particularly between Whites, Blacks, and Jews alike. Blacks would run and hide low key when the Klan showed up, while Jews were perplexed because they weren't necessarily favored by the Klan either. The theme of "best fit" is continued in the McBride house; one's power was derived from who one could order around. Food became a mention-worthy subject, as he describes that tension rises among him and his siblings over food. McBride's siblings all had distinct interests, for instance, Dennis wanted to become a Medical Doctor, whereas Helen was the most artistic of his sisters. Helen also, however, quit playing the piano for the church choir and also quit school. She declared that, "The white man's education is not for me" (McBride 73), when in reality, this was a very eccentric way of looking at eduction.

Quote:

"Looking back, I realize that I never felt any kinetic relationship to Jews" (McBride 86).

Reaction:

Amazing! Although, this was evident from the beggining,  McBride did not really relate to Jews or their culture and their traditions. James admitted not being able to stand those 'Holy Sabbath' rituals, where he was to do nothing but sit around all day long. Actually, Jews did not seem like a proud bunch of people, as they changed their Jewish names upon arriving America. However, when we take into consideration the hisorical events happening during this time, it is probably in any Orthodox Jew's best interest to keep a low profile, if any profile as a jew at all. I'm asuming that events such as the Nazi genocides of Jews were occuring during the early to mid 1900s.

The Color of Water (Pgs. 1-58)

Summary:


In the exposition of The Color of Water, the main character, James, and the conflict of him not knowing much about his mother are introduced. James has experienced both his biological and stepfather's deaths, and now is part of a mix-raced Jewish and African American family. This Jewish White widow mother of 12 has tried to impress the importance of education, religion, and privacy upon her kids. She moved around frequently, including to places such as Springfield, Massachusetts, New York, and then back south to Suffolk, Virginia again. Mrs. McBride loved God and she would go to church each and every Sunday. At one point James asked what color God's spirit was and his mother replied by saying that God does not have a color; "God is the color of water" (McBride 51). Evidently, the theme predominantly carried out effectively throughout the text is religion. McBride wondered, "… Why God would climb into these people with such fervor [passionate enthusiasm]..." (McBride 50)

Quote:


    "My parents were nonmaterialistic. They believed that money without knowledge was worthless, that education tempered with religion was the way to climb out of poverty in America, and over the years they were proven right" (McBride 29).


Reaction:


I believe that this quote uses a very affirmative tone. I mostly agree with both of McBride's ideas about money being worthless without knowledge and that education was 'the' way out of poverty in America. At this point, it has become an American Dream endeavor to make money by means of an education, at least indirectly, and religion. I can't vouch for religion supplementing education when it comes to getting out of poverty, for I'm not a very religiously involved person. However, keeping in mind that McBride grew up among his Orthodox Jewish mother, religion is relatively significant for him. The word "climb" in the second sentence has a strong connotation of how big a struggle he and his family are facing in the memoir. That word gives the impression that the main characters are really struggling, such that they see themselves in a situation deep/low enough where they would actually need to 'climb'. I viewed this as an implication of their desires being too far from their reach; this desire being to satisfy his mother's inner peace.