This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Nevilley (talk | contribs) at 21:03, 22 March 2003 (Reordered - novel should be first. Removed some duplicate links.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 21:03, 22 March 2003 by Nevilley (talk | contribs) (Reordered - novel should be first. Removed some duplicate links.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Cider House Rules is a novel by John Irving.
The novel deals with, among other things, abortion, adoption, race, and apples.
The title refers to the rules to be obeyed by apple-pickers living in the cider house. For years they have never even read, let alone observed the rules. When they are read out loud, their arbitrary and paternalistic nature offends the workers. They complain: "Somebody who don't live here made them rules. Them rules ain't for us. They think we're dumb niggers so we need dumb rules".
The novel was made into a 1999 movie starring
John Irving also wrote the sceenplay and won the Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay. For his performance in the film, Michael Caine won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.