Every teenager engages in a pitched battle against The Way Things are Done. With Jack, it's kind of a two-edged sword in This Boy's Life. He rebels against the rules… but he's also looking for a set of rules he can believe in. He desperately wants to find some system that makes sense, and is constantly disappointed when he can't… which leads him to rebel until the next batch of potential rules comes along. It's a bit of a mess. Then again, that seems to fit with Jack's life pretty well, doesn't it?
Questions About Rules and Order
- What, specifically, does Jack look for to fulfill his need for rules and order?
- What does a good set of rules offer Jack? What does he hope to accomplish by following them?
- What separates the rules systems that Jack tries to follow with those that he rejects outright?
- What do Dwight's various rules say about him? Why don't they work the way he wants them to?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Jack rebels because he can't find a set of rules that work for him.
Jack doesn't rebel so much as try to find his own rules.