Themes and Characters
Bauer explores several themes in Rules of the Road, including intricate parent-child dynamics, overcoming challenges, self-worth, loyalty, responsibility, and the journey to adulthood. The central theme revolves around Jenna's evolving understanding of herself and her identity. Driven by loyalty and responsibility, she takes on challenges that are beyond what a teenager should handle. Her life is shaped by her experiences with an alcoholic father. Their complex relationship includes memories of being coerced to lie for him over the phone, which has led to her dislike of using it. Other recollections involve broken promises, embarrassing moments, missed celebrations for birthdays, holidays, school functions, and a general lack of care for her, her sister, and her mother.
Bauer thoroughly develops this theme as the reader follows Jenna's internal thoughts throughout the narrative. Jenna longs for her father to overcome his alcoholism. Before meeting Harry Bender, a recovering alcoholic, she carries an unreasonable sense of responsibility for her father's safety and well-being. Although she attended Al-Anon meetings to cope, it was through a brief but profound friendship with Harry that she realized her father's actions and decisions were his own responsibility, not hers. This understanding brought Jenna a sense of freedom she had never felt before.
Loyalty is a recurring theme in the novel. Jenna is deeply committed to her job, striving to do her best, sell the finest products, ensure customer satisfaction, and uphold the ethical principles set by Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone. Bauer presents numerous realistic scenarios where Jenna must make ethical choices and stand by her beliefs. Her loyalty to her employer and job enables her to face challenges steadfastly. In contrast to her father and Mrs. Gladstone's son, Elden, Jenna serves as a positive role model for young people facing difficult decisions.
Jenna is also devoted to her mother and sister. Her loyalty makes her protective of Faith. Jenna tells Faith, "He misses you and wishes he could have come around more and wonders how you're doing." She consistently tells this to fourteen-year-old Faith because Jenna wants to shield her sister from the disappointment she often felt from their father. She conceals much of the truth about their father from Faith, allowing her to remain unaware of his lack of affection towards his daughters. Jenna's loyalty to her mother is shown through her commitment to being an obedient daughter. She avoids actions that would cause her mother worry. Jenna takes responsibility for herself and her sister while their mother works the night shift at St. Joseph's Hospital as an emergency-room nurse for the overtime pay.
Teens often feel dissatisfied with their reflection, and Jenna is no exception. She feels she's too tall at five feet, eleven inches, and is unhappy with her red hair and weight. During her sophomore year, she faced a rough patch, gaining seventeen and a half pounds, which led to her moving from center forward to second-string guard on the girls' basketball team because she couldn't jump well. Additionally, she only managed a C minus in history, causing her to fall off the honor roll. Her classmate, Billy Mundy, targeted her with cruel jokes, nicknaming her "Ms. Moose." Despite these challenges that diminish her self-esteem, Jenna finds a place where she feels completely capable and her confidence flourishes—selling shoes at Gladstone's Shoe Store, where she is treated with respect and professionalism.
Due to Jenna's positive attitude and competence at work, she is offered the role of Mrs. Gladstone's driver and personal assistant for the summer, significantly boosting her spirits. Readers witness Jenna's self-esteem rise dramatically as she faces challenges with enthusiasm and bravery.
In...
(This entire section contains 1090 words.)
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Dallas, Alice Lovett mentors Jenna, giving the self-conscious teen a makeover. Alice trims Jenna's hair and helps her shop for clothes in styles and colors that enhance her height and red hair. Many teens strive to be positively perceived by their peers, both male and female. Jenna often thinks about Matt Wicks, a boy from school, and wonders how he would view her now. Her newfound self-image is reinforced when a charming stranger invites her to dance at the mall where a band is playing. Although Jenna insists she doesn't know how to dance, the stranger is persistent and teaches her.
The title, Rules of the Road, is intricately woven throughout the story. As the official driver and personal assistant to Madeline Gladstone, Jenna learns valuable lessons that go beyond the driver's education manual. She discovers these lessons also serve as important guidelines for life.
Mrs. Madeline Gladstone, the president and CEO of Gladstone's Shoe Stores, serves as a key supporting character in this narrative. Together with her late husband, she expanded their shoe business into a chain of stores stretching from Dallas, Texas, to Chicago, Illinois. Raised in the household of a Baptist preacher, she has developed a strong moral compass. Initially, she might appear grumpy, but she is actually quite pragmatic and generous, though she prefers to keep this hidden. It's clear that she recognizes some of her own values in Jenna. Despite her frankness, Mrs. Gladstone is devoted to her employees and values Jenna’s loyalty. They form a formidable duo as they journey from Chicago to Dallas, heading towards a confrontation with her son, Elden Gladstone.
Jenna's mother frequently works long hours as an emergency-room nurse on the night shift, often away from home. After divorcing her alcoholic husband, she bears the responsibility of supporting herself and her two daughters alone. Protective of her children, she relies heavily on Jenna to look after Faith. Since Faith was too young to remember her father before the divorce, she has a skewed perception of who he is. She truly believes her father cares for her, but discovers the truth when she has to confront him in Jenna's absence.
Among the minor characters in Rules of the Road is Alice Lovett, a retired shoe model and close friend of Madeline Gladstone, who brings humor and enthusiasm to the story. A decisive person, Alice doesn't tolerate nonsense from anyone. She encourages Mrs. Gladstone when her resolve wanes and insists on giving Jenna a makeover.
Harry Bender, a significant figure in the book, is a cherished friend of Mrs. Gladstone and the most skilled shoe salesman at the Gladstone's Dallas store. Although he struggles with alcoholism, he has been sober for twenty-three years. Friendly and generous, he mentors Jenna in the art of shoes and sales. Harry lives life with enthusiasm and demonstrates to Jenna that recovery from alcoholism is possible, provided one possesses the courage and determination to quit drinking.