The Cider House Rules(#8)

Recently, I have read a novel called The Cider House Rules by John Irving. It is for most of the story, a great experience and a great in-depth character study that deals with tough issues like abortion, orphans, racism, sexual abuse, and love. It was the movie that was adapted from the novel that inspired me to read the book.

The Cider House Rules is about an orphanage in St. Cloud's, Maine. Specifically, it is about Homer Wells, an orphan from there and seemingly cursed to have to stay there. After being repeatedly adopted and then returning, the orphanage decides to keep him until he can leave on his own. The orphanage is also a hospital and houses the director of both, Dr. Larch. Dr. Larch is a obstetrician who delivers the orphans from the mothers who come to St. Cloud's, but also secretly performs abortions at a time when they were illegal and, in Maine, could result in the death penalty to anyone who performs them.

The novel is extensive about Dr. Larch, showing his life in a span of 60 pages or so, before getting anywhere to the main character, Homer. However, Dr. Larch is the best character in the novel and probably the most mature and well-rounded of all the characters also. The novel depicts his rise from son of a alcoholic father and pro-Prohibition mother to becoming a doctor, to his final choice to help women with abortions after seeing two women he knew die after getting abortions on the streets, and his arrival at the orphanage in St. Cloud's.

Homer Wells does eventually leave the orphanage with two new friends, Wally and his girlfriend
Candy. He works with them on Wally's family vast apple orchard. Thus begins a love triangle that isn't really much of a triangle. Wally seems too naive to notice Homer is falling for Candy, and when Wally leaves for World War II, Candy falls in love with Homer. Soon after, Candy gets pregnant and has the child, Angel Wells, that she and Homer pass off as the adopted son of Homer.  Soon after, Wally arrives back home after he shot down and lost his legs. Candy marries Wally instead of Homer, and the lies they've told are stretched over fifteen years.

This is point in the novel where Irving loses the audience. The novel jumps fifteen years forward to a time when Homer, Wally, Candy, and Angel are living together under the assumption that Candy and Wally are married and Angel is the adopted son of Homer. Irving constructed a weak chair to sit on with this, and we later on in fact see that basically everyone knew Angel was the product of Candy and Homer.

There was another problem. There comes point when Homer tells Angel that his mother is Candy and Candy tells Wally. This happens in the closing pages and the what ensues is basically nothing. Everything basically stays the same. There are no reactions and we are told of nothing that was said and done in response to this news. Eventually Homer becomes a doctor and takes over for Dr. Larch at St. Cloud's, but by this time the story has lost credibility and just seemed to be pushing it.

The first 400-500 pages are great, with characters that have so many different sides of their personality that come into conflict with each other. We also see the history of many of the major characters that are provide great depth to where they are now. However, when the novel jumps fifteen years forward, the characters magically become one-dimensional and naive. Dr. Larch is the only character who doesn't succumb to this tragedy, but he comes very close. Eventually, the novel  ends in a very unsatisfying way, and it seems like the entire novel was just a way to show how Homer Wells overcame his fear of abortions and became a doctor who performs them. The novel discards Wally, Candy, and Angel in the final pages. The majestic sweep of the beginning where all the characters are talked about in depth ultimately becomes a straight road by the end of the novel. To me, the character of Homer Wells changes significantly over the fifteen years. Before, he is a complex person who does good and bad things, but seems like a true person. After fifteen years, Homer becomes a naive and stupid man who reminded me of sitcom dads of the 90s. It nearly killed the book, but the saving grace is the half, which is one of the best stories I've ever read.

Also, it provides us with a great quote that I will never forget: "Goodnight, you Princes of Maine, You Kings of New England."