Student Question
How is Catherine's physical appearance described in Rules?
Quick answer:
In Rules, Catherine's physical appearance is described when she draws herself for her friend Jason. She usually wears her long brown hair in a ponytail, has blue-grey eyes, and often dons her favorite purple t-shirt. She also mentions disliking her pointy chin.
As the novel's narrator, 12-year-old Catherine doesn't have any reason to describe her physical appearance until her friend Jason asks her if he can have a picture of her. The only picture that she has to give him, however, is her school picture that doesn't look like anything like she does in normal life. In the picture, she has combed hair whilst normally she has her hair in a ponytail.
Borrowing her mother's make-up mirror, she decides to draw "how I usually look." She says she usually wears her hair in a brown ponytail, which of course means she has long brown hair and has her favorite purple t-shirt on. In addition, she has blue-grey eyes and mentions that she doesn't like her chin because it's too pointy.
In Rules, Catherine draws up a list of rules to help her autistic brother David cope with life and to help her cope with him. They include "chew with your mouth closed," "not everything worth keeping has to be useful," "if the bathroom door is closed, knock," and "no toys in the fish tank." However, when she gets a new neighbor who she wants to impress, she starts to become embarrassed by her brother's behavior. She won't even tell Kristi about her wheel-bound friend Jason.
The story ends with Catherine confronting her fears and inviting Jason to the community dance.
Get Ahead with eNotes
Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.
Already a member? Log in here.