Coming of Age in The Chocolate War and Boy's LifeCory in Boy's Life and Jerry in The Chocolate War are examples of characters in a novel by EducationMany high school students read coming of age novels, or coming of age novels such as: Kidnapped, The Outsiders, To Kill a Mocking Bird, and many others. What these students, however, do not realize as they read these novels is that the protagonist of the story grows and changes in many ways over the course of the novel. Many of these changes are the result of conflicts that most adolescents face throughout their lives. In Boys Life, by Robert McCammon, and The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier, the male protagonist encounters many conflicts, which most teenagers can identify with in everyday life. These two books are examples of coming-of-age novels because both Cory and Jerry change over the course of the novel due to their mental tests and physical abuse. The male protagonist, Cory and Jerry, encounters many mental tests, which affect the boy's outlook on life. The clearest evidence that demonstrates this is the handling of the death of a close person. In Boy's Life, Cory shows this best in how he completely changes his outlook on life and especially faith, when his best friend Davy Ray dies. A good example is when Cory says "I wasn't sure of anything anymore: not of life, not of the afterlife, not of God, not of good." (p454).Cory begins to understand that he must have faith. In The Chocolate War, when Jerry's mother dies, Jerry begins to look at life in a new way wondering if he is wasting his life. He wonders if he is part of something special or if he is "sleepwalking" through life (p20). Later he often thinks about it when he thinks about disturbing the universe. Furthermore, after her mother's death, she shares very little intimacy with her father and looks at him differently. When Jerry looks at his father one night, he wonders if his father is wasting his life with the daily routine and if he is turning out to be like his father (p52). The deaths involved in these two books test Cory and Jerry's beliefs and help them grow and mature into young adults. Because of the boy's determination, they are challenged in many ways. This is best shown in The Chocolate War with Jerry's decision not to. sell chocolates.