The Cider House Rules - Definition and Overview

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 Tobey Maguire and Charlize Theron as well as Michael Caine and Delroy Lindo directed by Lasse Hallström.

John Irving also wrote the screenplay 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. Irving himself appears briefly in the film, twice, as the disapproving stationmaster.