Chapter Seventeen is actually a very crucial chapter because in
it we find out what Jerry plans to do. This is the day when his "Assignment" has finished and he
can agree to sell chocolates just like everyone else. Yet, astonishingly, he decides to continue
defying Brother Leon and the school by choosing not to be involved at all in the sale of the
chocolates. To do so because it was required of him because of an Assignment is one thing, but to
voluntarily choose to continue to defy the school authorities in such a way is of seismic
importance. Thus it is that the ending of this chapter relates explicitly to Jerry's decision to
continue defying the school:
Cities fell. Earth opened. Planets tilted. Stars
plummeted. And the awful
silence.
Clearly, hyperbole is used
here to exaggerate the importance of this single event, but it does help to capture the sense of
shock and the consequences that Jerry will have to face for this. For the school and for Jerry,
this is an incredibly important moment.
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