Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Overview… pregnant with an unwanted child. Dr. Wilbur Larch can get rid of it, but abortions are an illegal and dangerous procedure in 1940s Maine. Nevertheless, Candy and her boyfriend, Wally Worthington, are determined to go through with the operation. At the clinic, they meet and befriend Dr. Larch’s apprentice, Homer Wells. The resulting relationship is one that changes all of their lives.
Personality… sweet, like her namesake. Candy Kendall is kind and compassionate with a fragile side. She is terrible at being alone; her happiness depends heavily on the presence of the men in her life. Wally’s enlistment in the Army does not bode well for the couple’s future.
Get to Know her in...
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Homer is an orphan who was never adopted, becoming the favorite of orphanage director Dr. Larch. Dr. Larch imparts his full medical knowledge on Homer, who becomes a skilled, albeit unlicensed, physician. But Homer yearns for a self-chosen life outside the orphanage. What will Homer learn about life and love in the cider house? What of the destiny that Dr. Larch has planned for him?
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First published in 1985, The Cider House Rules is John Irving's sixth novel. Set in rural Maine in the first half of this century, it tells the story of Dr. Wilbur Larch—saint and obstetrician, founder and director of the orphanage in the town of St. Cloud's, ether addict and abortionist. It is also the story of Dr. Larch's favorite orphan, Homer Wells, who is never adopted.
