Rule of the Bone
Russell Banks
1995
HarperCollins
It all begins with the protagonist, Chappie, attending summer school to avoid retaking the 8th grade. He is 13 and in love with marijuana. As you continue to read, Chappie begins to search his house while his mother and step dad are at work. He's looking for things to take and then sell for money. He then will take that money and buy marijuana. We get introduced to his best friend Russ, who is a droput and lives on his own. As the story progresses, Chappie runs away from home and becomes a criminal.
Chappie begins to steal, sell drugs for bikers and becomes basically. Chappie soon changes his name to "Bone". Bone and Russ go through a lot within the first few days and soon decide to go back home. Bone disagrees though. Bone befriends a Rasta named I-Man. He teaches Bone how to cook, survive, and use Jamaican plants and herbs. While the book comes to a closure, Bone starts invisioning things. He starts having visions of killing his mother and shooting his stepfather. Nevertheless, Bone gives all the money he has saved up to I-Man so they can go to Jamaica. Once they arrive, he begins to ask about his biological father. Sooner than later, they are able to find his father which is strange. Bone meets him and is "happy again".
"It was like I had gone and changed completely who I was, my name, my whole attitude, my hair even, and he hadn't changed anything. I was the Bone now for sure but Russ was still Russ" (Banks 123).
There is so much meaning in this quote. I felt that Bone was trying to portray changes. He wanted to know or at least try to figure out why Russ had not changed. He thought they were on the same page. Bone wondered why he was the only experiencing changes. This quote caught my attention because it gave me more of an understanding of what type of person Bone is. The way he speaks is fascinating!!
