Student Question
What are the main events in a timeline for "Rules of the Road"?
Quick answer:
The main events in a timeline for "Rules of the Road" include Jenna starting work at Gladstone Shoestore, getting her driver’s license, and becoming Mrs. Gladstone’s driver. They travel to Texas, confronting Mrs. Gladstone’s son Elden, who wants to take over the business. Jenna helps rally stockholders, undergoes a personal transformation, faces Elden, and ultimately sees Mrs. Gladstone retained in a new role. Jenna returns home, resolving to address her father’s alcoholism.
A timeline for the story would include many of the following events -
- Jenna starts working at Gladstone Shoestore during her sophomore year.
- Jenna gets her drivers' license.
- Jenna's alcoholic father returns and makes a scene at the shoestore.
- Mrs. Gladstone hires Jenna to be her driver, and the two set out to visit the stores in the chain, with the ultimate destination Texas.
- Jenna learns that Mrs. Gladstone's son wants to push her out of the business and take over, lowering the company's standards and principles to increase profit.
- Mrs. Gladstone and her son Elden have a confrontation in St. Louis.
- In Texas, Jenna meets Harry Bender, "world's greatest shoe salesman".
- With the help of Jenna, Harry, and a friend, Alice Lovett, Mrs. Gladstone tries to rally stockholders to keep Elden from taking over.
- Alice gets Jenna a haircut and changes her wardrobe, and for the first time, Jenna sees herself as "a pretty young woman".
- Harry Bender dies.
- Elder accosts Jenna before the stockholders' meeting, fires her, and tries to put her on a plane back to Chicago.
- Jenna runs away, sneaks into the meeting, and stands up to speak for Mrs. Gladstone.
- Mrs. Gladtone is voted out, but the new partner, Ken Woldman, hires her to oversee quality control because of Jenna's speech.
- Jenna goes home, recognizes changes in herself and her family, and resolves to love her father but to cease being an enabler for his drunkenness.
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