House Rules

House Rules by Jodi Picoult

     In 'House Rules' by Jodi Picoult, there are a few themes. One of the biggest ones is don't judge a book by it's cover. this theme shows when you see Jacob and how people treat him because he has a disease called Aspergers.

     When people see Jacob, they probably think at first that he is normal, because you can't see that someone has Aspergers unless you get to know them.this is the first time people judge him incorrectly. The second time is when they listen to him talk or start having a huge tantrum or sitting in the backseat even though he's 18. Now that they realize that he isn't normal, they call him retarded, which he isn't, or stupid, which he also isn't. Both of these accusations hurt Jacob because he isn't normal or retarded. This gets him even madder and he doesn't realize why they think that.

     Another time people judge him is when he's in court and they think that he's acting guilty. They think that because he won't look them in the eye, which is a common trait of Aspergers, he is guilty and murdered Jess Ogilvy, his tutor. They don't realize that Jess was the only person outside his family who really cares for him and he would never hurt her. He tried to set up a crime scene pointing the evidence away from his brother, but it pointed towards him instead.

     This relates to the real world because a lot of people judge strangers without getting to know them, and that will end up hurting both the accused and the accuser. When people act strangely, there is usually a good reason for that and no one cares to learn it. This was the biggest theme in 'House Rules'.