“They murdered him.” These three words inaugurate the opening page of The Chocolate War, and to a greater extent the literary career of Robert Cormier, the author whose works are and have long been regarded to represent the best of young adult literature. In introducing the contributions which Robert Cormier has made to the genre of young adult literature, that which can be traced over a quarter of a century and includes thirteen novels and a collection of short stories, it is perhaps best first to briefly reflect on the individual, his influences, interests, his inspiration for writing (Reynolds).
Robert Cormier was born, January 17, 1925, into the ranks of the predominantly French-Canadian immigrant community of French Hill, a suburb of the larger town of Leominster in Massachusetts (Campbell, 2006). Along with his seven other siblings, he was raised Catholic receiving his earliest education through the instruction of nuns at the St. Cecilia Parochial Grammar School. Cormier often described his childhood as being comfortable, spent enjoyably with his family and the larger extension of his community. It is from this time and place that Cormier most frequently wrote about in his novels; for example, Fade and Frenchtown Summer reflect upon his experiences especially well as both novels are home to the fictional town of Monument, clear and unmistakeable portrayals of Cormier’s Leominster. Cormier himself has commented extensively on the autobiographical nature of his writings, claiming that—as most writers do—he writes about what he knows best (Cormier, 2001). By extension, many of the characters Cormier has developed are reflections of himself—his fears, feelings, and emotions—at a young age. Character development was particularly important in the type of books Cormier wrote. He was often fond of arguing that “characters are the most important part of a novel...if the reader doesn't believe in the characters, doesn't love them or hate them or doesn't identify with them, then the story won't work” (Teenreaders.com, 2000).
Advancing to junior high school, Cormier developed a keen appreciation for books and the written word; Mark Twain, Thomas Wolfe, and William Saroyan, were all particularly influential to his career. Ernest Hemingway also figured prominently in Cormier’s development as he was enthralled by the natural simplicity, but descriptive composition of his prose—a style of writing Cormier sought to bring to his own work (Drew, 1996). Along with other authors of the young adult genre, Cormier was influenced by J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, the book many identify with as establishing a new standard in the literature. The outsider, rebel, and loner, as well as the pessimistic world view which Salinger crafted is very much reflected in many of Cormier’s books (Campbell, 2006). Clear distinctions exist, however; the worlds in which Cormier wrote of were obstinately insidious and tragically dark, often offering no meaningful salvation or refuge for goodness to prevail (Drew 1996). Nowhere is this more evident in the novel I am the Cheese—Cormier’s first debut to follow The Chocolate War—which tells the story of Adam Farmer, a patient at a hospital, who is attempting to remember his past in order to survive against the institutions and authorities which (Adam assumes) are there to protect him and his family (Reynolds). What is revealed, however, is a scathing depiction of organizations and governments whose size and power have blinded their capacity to be benevolent societal actors (Drew, 1996).
After completing his education at Fitchburg State College, in 1948 he married Constance (Connie) Senay shortly after becoming employed as a newspaper writer for the Worchester Telegram. After several years he assumed a position with the Fitchburg Sentinel where he was eventually promoted to associate editor, a career which brought him numerous awards and accolades—the most prestigious being the K.R. Thomas Award for most outstanding human-interest column (under the pen name of John Fitch IV) in 1974 (Random House). Working as a journalist enabled Cormier the opportunity to develop his craft, the benefit of which made him realize the importance of economy writing—a practice that attempts to simplify words and their arrangement to maximize their affect in recognition of specific allowances of space (Janeczko, 1977). Employment as a journalist also afforded him the luxury of time to work on his many fiction projects which he actively maintained and experimented with since his earliest college days. The weekends were devoted especially for this task which began for Cormier usually on Thursday. It is from these endeavours, working during the day in his home, or at night so as not to disturb the family—he actually preferred the presence of his wife and children whom he would often seek out for input when writing—that Cormier was able to produce his first young adult novel: The Chocolate War (Janeczko, 1977). It was not until 1978 that Cormier left his position at the Fitchburg Sentinel and devoted all his time to writing fiction (Random House).
As stated earlier, The Chocolate War was Cormier’s first widely commercially and critically successful novel. Written in 1974, the premise was constructed from an actual event in Cormier’s life revolving around a fundraising campaign organized at his son’s school (Campbell, 2006). The book portrays a chilling world in which corruption, intimidation, and violence are the norm in the halls of a Catholic boy’s high school. The protagonist, Jerry Renault, inspired by a poster in his locker which reads: “Do I dare disturb the universe?” refuses participation in the school’s annual chocolate bar sale; the plot follows the consequences of this choice. In the end, readers are left to ponder a complex web of themes which produce no clear or definite answers: individualism, power, universality of evil, and religion, are but just a few examples (Reynolds). The hard-hitting nature of The Chocolate War, which at the time spoke a level of realism rarely before depicted of teenagers, caused quite a backlash of criticism. In fact, Cormier along with his agent had difficulty initially selling the book to publishers. Many identified its content to be incompatible for younger audiences, specifically, insisting that changes be made to address the book’s tragic ending (a hallmark of Cormier) which depicts the triumph of sinister interests; Jerry’s badly beaten and bloodied body is used to evidence this fact. The book was picked up on the eighth pitch (Campbell, 2006).
The criticism which The Chocolate War aroused upon its publication in 1974 was broad and varied. Librarians and teachers, as well as concerned parents, were often among the most adamant in its opposition citing the book’s dismal ending, its lack and poor treatment of positive-inspiring characters, and its careless representation of Christian and Catholic principles and values (Drew, 1977). In addition to this, detractors found offence in the language used by Cormier, claiming it to be obscene and pornographic in its nature (Campbell, 2006). The result of this campaigning, however, produced only limited censorship; in most cases, throughout North America the book was widely accepted. Although, according to a study produced by the American Library Association, for the decade of 2000 to 2009, The Chocolate War (even after nearly thirty years) ranks third among books most frequently challenged and banned in libraries and schools, up one position from the previous decade. This provides evidence not only of its continued controversy, but also of its literary prowess, especially in terms of its worth and currency to contemporary audiences (ALA Frequently challenged books).
Nevertheless, despite the criticism, The Chocolate War achieved remarkable success, capturing numerous awards and accolades. The first of such honours was in 1974, with The New York Times awarding Cormier’s young adult fiction debut the title of most outstanding book of the year—I Am the Cheese, and After the First Death would also receive this distinction in 1977 and 1979 respectfully (Drew, 1996). This trio of books collectively received the much coveted 1991 Margaret A. Edwards Award, presented by the ALA and YALSA, for most “outstanding contribution to literature for young adults” (YALSA). Earlier, in 1982, Cormier was similarly awarded by the Adolescent Literature Assembly (better known as ALAN), an independent association of the National Council of Teachers of English. Additionally, in 2000, Cormier’s Frenchtown Summer was winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in the category for best young adult fiction. In the Middle of the Night, Tenderness and Heroes, all received high acclaim in consideration for the Carnegie Medal—the later novel, in fact was marked as highly commended; this honour is made all the more impressive as it is generally reserved for British authors and their books (Random House). However, this is not at all surprising given that all of Cormier’s young adult novels have received similar recognition and treatment by scholars and associations of the genre.
A complete list of his young adult works, beginning with the earliest, includes: The Chocolate War (1974), I am the Cheese (1977), After the First Death (1979), 8 Plus 1 (1980), The Bumblebee Flies Away (1983), Beyond the Chocolate War (1985), Fade (1988), Other Bells for Us to Ring (1990), We All Fall Down (1991), Tunes for Bears to Dance To (1992), In the Middle of the Night (1995), Tenderness (1997), Heroes (1998), Frenchtown Summer (1999), and The Rag and the Bone Shop (2001). Four of these novels have been adapted into films, the first being I Am the Cheese in 1983, followed by The Chocolate War in 1988, The Bumblebee Flies Away in 1999 and most recently Tenderness, directed by John Polson and starring Russell Crowe, in 2009 (Monseau, 2007).
Tenderness represents a slight divergence in the writing subject of Cormier’s earlier work. Beginning perhaps with Fade, Cormier progressively attempted to explore the opposing topics of violence and love, good and evil, within teenagers; traditional representations of evil as institutions, governments, and organizations (or their representatives), were largely pushed away in favour of depicting teenagers as creators and agents of evil in their own right. In typical fashion, Cormier often incorporated these notions into a single character, blurring these traits making them often indistinguishable from each other. This is best exemplified in the character of Eric Poole, (featured in Tenderness) a psychopathic teenage who displays brief episodes of compassion despite his murderous ways (Reynolds). This topic specifically fascinated and intrigued Cormier. In speaking of the dichotomy of good and evil, he was convinced that all people possessed, in varying degrees, such faculties. He was particularly adamant in depicting the universality of this phenomenon in his books—not as the thing in the night, but persisting in common everyday people, especially teenagers (Myers, 2000).
As can be noted Robert Cormier’s appeal is extensive reaching far beyond the category of young adult literature; this only seems fitting considering that he never specifically wrote (at least initially) with a specific audience in mind. Similarly, as his goal was to work as a writer and “produce at least one book that would be read by all people” (Davis) it seems that Robert Cormier has achieved success beyond his greatest dreams and has instead produced a legacy which will forever remain in the annals of young adult literature and in the minds of its many readers never to fade.
