book / 1985
The Cider House Rules
Homer Wells grows up in an orphanage and must decide what kind of moral responsibility he can live with.
Verified facts
- Author
- John Irving
- Published
- 1985
- Language
- English
PlotGeeks explainer signals
Why read this explainer
Homer's medical training gives him abilities whose use he questions. Leaving St. Cloud's tests whether refusing a role can avoid its responsibilities.
PlotGeeks note
Homer encounters needs outside the rules he inherited from Dr. Larch. His eventual return follows experience of what withholding care can mean.
Connected knowledge
Connected in PlotGeeks
Related explainers and browse pages for The Cider House Rules.
- Compare with The Cider House Rules (1999 film)
Compare what changes between the 1985 book and the 1999 film.
Timeline
Major events
- Training at St. Cloud's
Larch raises Homer in the orphanage and teaches him obstetrics, though Homer rejects abortion.
- Life at the orchard
Homer leaves with Candy and Wally; Wally's wartime disappearance precedes Homer and Candy's relationship.
- Rose needs care
Years later, Homer performs an abortion after Rose becomes pregnant through her father's abuse.
- Larch's successor
After Larch dies, Homer returns to direct St. Cloud's and continue its medical work.
Story in 60 Seconds
The short version
Homer Wells grows up at St. Cloud's orphanage, where Dr. Wilbur Larch trains him in obstetrics and treats him as a son. Homer objects to Larch's abortions and leaves with Candy Kendall and Wally Worthington for their family's orchard. While Wally is missing during the war, Homer and Candy become lovers and have a son, Angel. Wally's return creates a long concealed arrangement. Years later, Rose's pregnancy after abuse by her father forces Homer to use the medical skills he had resisted. After Larch dies, Homer returns to St. Cloud's.
Spoiler sectionEnding ExplainedShow ending detailsHide ending details
Homer performs an abortion for Rose after learning that her father impregnated her. The decision puts another person's immediate need ahead of the position he had defended in principle. Returning to St. Cloud's after Larch's death continues that responsibility: he takes over the orphanage and provides care while retaining his unease about abortion. His return is an informed choice after years away.
Original context
Why it matters
The consequences of refusal
Leaving St. Cloud's lets Homer test convictions formed under Dr. Larch. The needs he encounters make refusing medical responsibility a consequential choice of its own.
Key turning points
Treating Rose
Rose's pregnancy brings Homer's objection to abortion into conflict with the needs of someone he knows. Performing the procedure changes the meaning of the medical responsibility he has avoided.
Character links
Who connects to whom
Character motivations
Choosing his own duty
Homer leaves to discover a life beyond Larch's expectations. His eventual return does not erase those years; experience at the orchard informs his decision to undertake the work himself.
Adaptation