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Beyond the Chocolate War, 1985
Characters:
Brother Leon: headmaster of a private boarding school (Trinity School in
Monument, somewhere in New England)
Archie Costello: student at Trinity and president of the Vigils, a sinister
students' body
Jerry Renault: a student who refused to take part in a money-raising event
(selling chocolates) and was physically punished for this by the Vigils. He
was so badly injured that he had to leave school.
Ray Bannister: new at Trinity , comes from Cape Cod. He is a magician and
in command of some spectacular magical tricks, among them the one with
the guillotine.
Obie: Opposed to Archie and in love with Laura Gundarson who eventually
leaves him.
Bunting: member of the Vigils and possible successor of Archie, later
opposed to him.
Emile Janza: physically very strong and happily executes Archie's unusual
punishments
David Caroni: feels treated unjust by Brother Leon for being given an F,
although usually an excellent student. Tries to kill Brother Leon, but fails, then
commits suicide.
Setting:
Trinity High School somewhere in New England; school is a preparatory
school for ivory league universities
Time:
near the end of a school-year
After the terrible events of The Chocolate War, Jerry Renault, the victim of the
chocolate sale, returns to Trinity; things, however, have not changed: Archie
Costello and his Vigils still victimize and bully non-conformist students
arbitrarily, fight the faculty and corrupt the school whenever an opportunnity
arises. They execute sinister tricks on students and teachers alike. Brother
Leon even doesn't overcome such a humiliating assault that he retires from
school early and shortly after that dies.
School life at Trinity is dominated by antagonism, rejection, revenge and
victimization. Archie fights unscrupulous Brother Leon and his school, and
Obie bitterly fights Archie and his way of treating suspicious students who
oppose him. Obie takes advantage of Ray Bannister and his magical abilities.
On a school party is going to perform his trick with the guillotine and Obie
volunteers to assist him only to manipulate the guillotine and kill Archie who is to lay his head
under the blade of the guillotine. only by a security mechanism does the blade not chop off
Archie's head.
The number of days Archie attends Trinity are counted as the school year approaches its end and
Archie graduates. Bunting who has always rejected Archie and his power on people is to become
Archie's successor and suddenly drops all his sruples which he had before when he imagines how
powerful he will be after Archie has left.
The story is to show how everybody can become a dictator is he is given the opportunity and the
power. Only a few like Jerry Renault can resist the temptation.
If you have already dealt with The Chocolate War you needn't read Beyond the Chocolate War. The
basic topics are almost the same.
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