Monday, July 28, 2014

What are Wes's grandparents' rules in The Other Wes Moore?

In chapter 1, as Wes sits in the front seat of the car, waiting to be taken to his grandparents' house, his mother reminds him of the rules that his grandparents expect him to abide by. The rules are, "No running indoors, no talking back, don't eat too much." Wes later learns, in chapter 2, that his grandparents' rules are in fact even stricter than those laid down by his mother.
His grandparents insist, for example, that the children should not be outside once the streetlights turn on, and that "all chores ha(ve) to be done" before the children begin their playing. Another rule is that if the children hear "any gunfire or . . . 'foolishness' outside," then they are to return immediately to the house. Wes's grandparents think that if these rules worked for their own children and helped their own children to "successfully navigate the world," then there's no reason why they shouldn't work for their grandchildren, too. Indeed, despite Wes's feeling that these rules are strict, they actually seem perfectly sensible.

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