Point of View

Rules is written in the first person point of view, from Catherine's perspective. The reader is thus strongly allied with Catherine, and is able to empathize with her as she struggles to find her own identity and escape from the preteen pressures of being cool and fitting in. However, rules scattered throughout the book and at the top of each section serve to offer a more third-person omniscient commentary on the events of the novel, with certain rules having either a direct relationship to the action or an indirect and perhaps ironic relationship.

Catherine is kind, artistic, and intelligent, but she is not without her flaws. Like many children her age, she succumbs to peer pressure, and her dealings with David or Jason make her nervous, upset, or afraid, as she fears the "cool" kids, like Kristi, might think she is "uncool." Her anxiety threatens to...