“The Cider House Rules” could be called a family saga in a new style, “David Copperfield” or “Jane Eyre,” only the other way around. An orphan with no kindred gets a home hearth—but the house is no longer the fortress behind whose walls you can hide from the storms and calamities of a cruel age. Instead of life rules meant to ensure an honest and calm existence, new—far harsher—ones take their place. But even following them, a person is doomed, because it means giving up the past, traditions, and values. Is there a way out of this vicious circle?