Cider House Rules

“Wherever Melony went, she would not be without guidance, she would not be without love, without faith; she had a good book with her. If only she kept reading it and reading it...” 
― John Irving, The Cider House Rules

There is a game I like to play called “The Library”. Every two months or so I take a trip to the local library and get ten or more books/dvds on anything I find interesting; any novel, cookbook, biography, travel book, children’s story or how to train your cat guide (there’s an impressive amount of people trying to train cats, we should probably all give up). I try to read or watch everything I get before that sad day comes when I get a bill in the mail from the library police. My last score was an impressive 10 to 1 in my favor (no time for salsa lessons). I usually win against the library, but what is even more rewarding is finding one of those books that changes your life.

Cider House Rules is a 1985 novel by John Irving that has been made into a major motion picture with actors Michael Cain, Charlize Theron and Tobey McGuire. But don’t even bother with the movie, the novel (as usual) is a thousand and one times better. It deals more deeply into the complexity of the characters, and the controversial situations that arise.

Abortion is one of the main themes in the story, which to this day is still very serious and argumentative. Every character will be very important, but our hero is Homer Wells. Homer Wells comes from an orphanage where the doctor in charge decides to perform illegal abortions to women who desire it. Homer Wells is never adopted by the right family and becomes a student of these practices, yet he refuses to perform such operation. A true inner conflict for an orphan's morals, should there be more orphans experiencing what I have? Or, should I put a stop to it? And who am I to decide? We grow and learn with Homer as he experiences   love, betrayal and friendship in a place where racism, sexism and even incest happen.  Homer Wells has a hard time deciding what is right from wrong, and even the reader will notice his/her opinion on characters and issues will change . This book is a masterpiece, something that will stay in your mind for a long time; a beautiful story about very different people trying to belong somewhere.

“The thing that is most hardest to accept about the passage of time is that the people who once mattered the most wind up in parentheses.” Dr. Larch 

TRUE STORY

1920’s Maine, USA- Abortions are illegal and the use of contraceptives is looked down by religious groups. Poor towns with prostitution had unwanted pregnancies by the baker’s dozen, and it was common for these women to seek abortion any possible way. Toxic medicines were sold over the counter, illicit doctors would charge a lot of money in unsanitary situations, and self-abortion was tried by many. In the late 1920's some 15, 000 women died from abortions. Doctors at orphanages saw firsthand the hard life of an orphan, and were known to perform safe abortions if the pregnancy was not too advanced. John Irving decided to give this grueling job to Dr. Larch, who speaks these wise words about abortion:

“Men who believe in good and evil, and who believe that good should win, should watch for those moments when it is possible to play God”