The Struggle for Acceptance in The Cider House Rules
In The Cider House Rules, John Irving brings the orphan Homer Wells to vivid life in a rather unusual way. Homer’s life and existence are part of a large symbolic link to the actual book itself. Homer’s life as an orphan struggling for acceptance and to “Be of Use” is shadowed by The Cider House Rules struggle for acceptance in the mass literary market and its need to purvey its views on abortion.
After writing his first few books, Irving was left disappointed that although the literary critics embraced them, for the general masses his books fell on deaf ears. (Hill 250) Unfortunately it is the general case that the masses and the elite are not in agreement on what is worth reading. With this in mind, Irving set out writing The Cider House Rules with the intent of reaching not only the critics but the general populace as well. Similarly, Homer starts life accepted only within the narrow confines of the orphanage he has grown up in. His first several attempts have ended with failure, leaving Homer only the comfort of familiar arms. When Homer sets out several years later, with the maturity of one who has stared life’s failures and unwanted, he hits the world head on and starts to make gradual steps toward full acceptance.
If asked, Irving will flatly deny that he had any ulterior motives in the creation of The Cider House Rules. He will claim that the thought of abortion did not even enter the picture until he was well into the process. (Twayne’s 12) However, like Homer, this book was purposefully designed with abortion on the mind of the nurturer. Homer’s Dr Larch is a man who feels morally obliged to ...
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...cs of storytelling in John Irving's 'The Cider House Rules.'." Style 15 July 1998. 1 Apr. 2003 <http://findarticles.com>.
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For many years people have argued about the inclusion of The Cather in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger in the high school english curriculum. This is such due to the inappropriate and adult oriented themes within If considered, many times within the novel the main character will face situations in which that the negative and vulgar themes will blossom into something meaningful that the reader can benefit from as a person and as a student. While the vulgarity and adult themes in The Catcher in the Rye are indeed inappropriate for adolescent students, ultimately its underlying themes of self discovery and possessing moral values provides life and ethical lessons that can be applied in the classroom as well as on a daily basis and therefore, the novel should be included in the high school curriculum for students to learn.
Washington Irving and Edgar Allan Poe were both writers who exemplified the writing style of the Romantic era. Both writers used their great talents to take the reader into the story. For example, Irving, in “Rip Van Winkle”, starts the story by saying, “Whoever has made a courage up the Hudson must remember the Kaatskill Mountains.” He also involves the reader in the story by taking us into the everyday lives of the Van Winkles and goes into some detail describing Rip’s “business”. Poe also demonstrates his ability to pull the reader into the story. In “The Fall of the House Usher” he uses extensive descriptions of the settings to give the reader the feeling of being there while the story is developing around them. The writers are also similar in the use of tone in their works. Irving’s use of tone in his stories is typically lighthearted, yet dramatic. This is demonstrated in “Rip Van Winkle” when Rip comes back from the “Kaatskills” and is talking to all the people in the town. There, he finds his son and daughter and asks, “Where’s your mother?” By asking this question, Irving implies both curiosity and even fear if Dame Van Winkle is still around. This humorous approach to the subject of Rip’s wife, makes light of ...
Everyone knows the name Fidel Castro, the revolutionary of Cuba. At the University of Havana in 1945 is where Fidel Castro began his long and treacherous journey as a radical nationalist. (Fidel: The Untold Story). He fought the infamous Flugencio Batista in the name of social justice until victory was won. He claimed to have fought for a democratic Cuba and a restoration of constitutional government and Cuban sovereignty, but he also stood for socialism and communist ideals. As Tim Padgett from Times Magazine on page 42 stated “Fidel imported old-world Marxism and its perverse notion that social justice is best delivered via the injustice of autocracy.” He supported everything the US and pro-democracy states despised and stood as a revolutionary
The movie Cider House Rules involves many different characters that one can focus on, but the main character I want to focus on is Homer Wells, who is also the main character of the film. Now every character goes through many different situations and are faced with different obstacles that they must over come. Dr. Larch has to over come the ability to realize he is human, and how the board wants to replace him. Mr. Rose has to over come non-diligent workers, and conflicts with his daughter and keep a calm, flowing working environment. Candy Kendall has to deal with her husband Wally Worthington being away fighting for the United States in World War II. On the other side Wally has to deal with the loss of ability to use his legs and being paralyzed in a wheel chair. But, none of these are more compelling or can be looked at in so many ways as Homer's.
Fidel Castro was a man who had a target on his head. Lots of people from all over the world wanted him dead. Fidel Castro wasn’t a capitalist person, he was a Communist.
... the majority of which sought refuge in the United States. With the fall of the Soviet Union, Cuba now stands at a crossroads. The battle cry has changed from “ Socialism or death to Resist, struggle and win” (Castro’s Cuba II). Hopefully, Castro and/or Cuba will not be forced into a market-based economy and all the materialistic commodities that go along with capitalism. In my opinion, Castro should hold out for as long as possible griping to the former battle cry “Socialism or death”. Only time will tell what the fate of Castro’s Cuba will be. Trade might once again flourish the economy, tourism might open up new economic opportunities and foreign investments from Italy, France and Spain could possibly dig Cuba out the current economic hole it’s in. Until then however, the battle against capitalism must not lose any of its vigor.
Carson McCullers takes the reader on a journey into the lives of a family plagued by alcoholism in "A Domestic Dilemma". The realism of the story is astounding, as most people will often find themselves torn when facing difficult family decisions. The Meadows’ family is torn by both compassion and suffering, and Martin Meadows is faced with one of the most difficult decisions of his life. In A Domestic Dilemma, the author conveys the idea that individuals facing difficult decisions in marital relationships must act in the best interest of one’s self.The conflicts in the story surround Martin and Emily’s marital relationship. It is clear that their marriage is deteriorating because of Emily’s alcoholism. Emily often attempts to hide her drinking from her husband and when Martin inquires about his wife’s earlier drinking, she responds "Because I drink a couple of sherries in the afternoon you’re trying to make me out a drunkard." in a sharp, unforgiving tone.
As tuition continues to increase every year, it should be a concern to many people. Rising tuition should matter to people who are attending college. As tuition prices increases, college students have to worry about how they will pay for college and what type of aid they should apply for. If tuition continues to rise, college students might have to apply for more financial aid. Rising tuition should be a concern of people who are considering to attend college in the future. With tuition prices increasing every year, people who plan on attending college will have to find ways to get financial help to pay for college or start saving up their money in order to attend college in the future. Als...
Radey, M., & Figley, C. R. (2007). The social psychology of compassion. Clinical Social Work Journal, 35(3), 207-214.
John Proctor is both flawed and honorable. After having an affair with Abigail. His wife has been unable to forgive him for this, and their marriage is unhappy, John has the guilt from his past affair weighing down on his shoulders, he apologizes for the mistake but it is shown that the guilt is still there “I have not moved from there to there without I think to please you, and still an everlasting funeral marches round your heart. I cannot speak but I am doubted every moment judged for lies, as though I come into a court when I come into this house!” this shows that the guilt is crushing him that he has been trying to apologized for his wrong doings but hasn’t been forgiven he needs his wife to forget about the pass and move on he will do anything to show his wife he is devoted to her. John Proctor knows what he will do knowing that now his wife is charged with witchcraft he must go to the court and prove to them that this is all a hoax and this his wife is not involved in witchcraft and that Abigail is making this all up. John makes a ...
Irving uses imagery to help readers imagine the past and also impact the theme of supernatural. Irving writes, “The whole neighborhood abounds with local tales, haunted spots, and twilight superstitions; star shoot and meteors glare oftener across the valley than in any other part of the country, and the nightmare, with her whole ninefold, seems to make it the favorite scene of her gambols. The dominant spirit, however, that haunts this enchanted region, and seems to be commander-in-chief of all the powers of the air, is the apparition of a figure on horseback, without a head” (Irving 3-4). Once again, Irving makes a reference to the hessian soldier, the Headless Horseman, which brings back the past of the revolutionary war, he does this by using imagery in explaining what he looks like. This also ties in with the theme of supernatural. Irving also describes, “ There was a contagion in the very air that blew from that haunted region; it breathed forth an atmosphere of dreams and fancies infecting all the land” (Irving 1). This helps us readers imagine the atmosphere and the theme of supernatural within the town. The mentioning of the hauntings brings up the past once
The Cider House Rules is a story about a young man named Homer, who leaves his long time orphanage home, where he worked as a doctor under the tutelage of Dr. Larch, to explore the outside world. Homer is taken in by a man named Wally, his family, and his fiancé, Candy, at their apple farm. During his stay at the farm, he lives in the cider house with the other apple pickers, where he becomes acquainted with Mr. Rose and Rose Rose. After returning from a winter of working down south, Rose Rose comes back pregnant, Homer finds out that Rose’s dad is also the father of her baby, and one night in the middle of the night Rose stabs her father, killing him, and escapes. Around the same time, Homer discovers that Dr. Larch has died, so he finds Rose
John Grisham’s book, ‘A Painted House’ places the reader within the walls of a simple home on the cotton fields of rural Arkansas. Within the first few pages, the author’s description of the setting quickly paints a picture of a hard working family and creates a shared concern with the reader about the family’s struggle to meet the basic needs of life. The description of the dusty roads, the unpainted board-sided house, the daily chore requirements and their lack of excess cause the reader a reaction of empathy for the family. Although the story takes place in a dusty setting very unfamiliar to most readers, the storyline is timeless and universal. Most everyone has a desire to meet the basic needs of life, embrace their family ties, and make others and ourselves proud. The crux of this book is that it does an excellent job in showing the reader through other’s examples and hardships to persevere and never give up.