Cider House Rules

Caitie writes:

I am reading the novel Cider House Rules by well known author John Irving. Cider House Rules is about Wilbur Larch a doctor that works at an orphanage but also performs illegal abortions. Women come to him offering him sums of money to remove the fetus growing in their stomach. Dr. Larch takes a liking to one of the orphans named Homer Wells by Nurse Angela. Homer can’t seem to find a family that is a good fit for him. When he was a baby he did not cry, a foster family thinks there is something wrong with him so they bring him back to the orphanage. The next family forces him to cry by torturing him giving him a fear of the slightest movement or touch. Homer is now unable to stop from crying so most families don’t want him. Homer grows up in the orphanage and befriends Dr. Larch and the nurses. Dr. Larch tries to find a family for homer to try out but when he finally does they get killed when they take Homer on a camping trip. After this disturbing event Dr. Larch stops searching for Homer Well’s perfect fit. Homer grows up in St. Cloud’s orphanage. He even gives Homer chores around the orphanage such as doing the nightly read-aloud and taking out the trash. One day when Homer is taking out the trash he finds a human fetus among the debris. He recognizes it as what was a living creature so he takes it to Dr. Larch and asks him what it is. Dr. Larch realizes he has to reveal his occupation. He even starts training Homer to be an abortionist. Over a period of a few years Homer is almost ready to perform an abortion by himself. When the day comes that Dr. Larch can not make it home in time to perform an abortion Homer is put to the test. He has to perform his first abortion without Dr. Larch there in case anything was to go wrong or Homer becomes overwhelmed during his first attempt at a complex medical operation. How he does will decide weather he is fit to be an abortionist or not.
The setting of Cider House Rule is very dark. The orphanage is depressing, and St. Cloud’s Maine is portrayed as a dreary town. It is a logging town, the residents are missing limbs. It always seems to be cloudy and stormy and dull. At the orphanage there are characters such as Fuzzy Stone that add to the misery of the setting. Fuzzy Stone is constantly on a breathing apparatus and sleeps in a tent like structure to protect his sensitive lungs from dust. Fuzzy’s mechanical lung makes so much noise that Homer usually has trouble falling asleep at night. Homer stays up thinking all night. He is a complex character. Homer befriends Melanie, the only other orphan left that is his age. She lives in the girl’s division of St. Cloud’s. She desperate for affection and he meets her needs. He isn’t really attracted to Melanie but he feels that he should be so he goes along with her antics. He does find comfort in having a friend at the orphanage. Dr. Larch doesn’t think that Melanie is a good influence on Homer but doesn’t want to take away his only friend his age.
Dr. Larch is also a complex character. He is a doctor with an addiction to ether. He knows the perfect amount to go into a daze but not kill him. This helps him have the perfect touch when it comes to the amount for ether he gives the patient. This is why some people prefer him to other doctors but the main reason is the cost. Dr. Larch works very cheap, unlike places like “off Harrison” who charges a large amount of money. Dr. Larch is mainly concerned in the safety of the patient which makes him a more caring doctor. The characters Homer Wells and Wilbur Larch really interact well together. They really complete the whole mood of the story. Dr. Larch is like a father to Homer because he knows that every child needs to be loved to grow into a functional adult. The chemistry between the characters is like a father and son, but it still has a slight awkwardness to it, making it a very realistic relationship.
I am really enjoying this book, and find it very exciting. I like the way John Irving creates the characters. I am really excited to see how the characters develop through the rest of the novel.