Rodrick Rules

Kinney uses the opening chapter to set up the long-standing conflict between Greg and his older brother Rodrick. Although the first graphic novel in the series illustrates the day-to-day fights between the brothers, Rodrick Rules focuses on the steadily-building tension between the brothers and their mother’s futile attempts to get them to stop fighting and bond as brothers. Greg and Rodrick’s tenuous and often antagonistic relationship is common amongst siblings, and illustrates the way the brothers navigate their Sibling Relationships and Family Roles. Kinney also dangles the mystery of what happened between Greg and Rodrick over the summer in the opening pages: Rodrick knows about an embarrassing secret of Greg’s, and Greg worries that if he pushes Rodrick too far, the whole school will learn about Greg’s humiliating mistake. The promise for the secret to be revealed engages the reader and serves as the focal point around Greg and Rodrick’s conflict throughout the novel. Greg’s persistent concern about whether Rodrick will reveal his secret follows him into the start of the school year and highlights the story’s theme of Embarrassment and Reputations in Middle School, as Greg knows the damage Rodrick could do to his life at school.

Although fans of the first book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series may already know about Greg’s family dynamics, Kinney focuses on introducing readers to the unusual relationships that center on Rodrick and his parents. Kinney reveals Rodrick’s “system” that he uses to avoid writing his own essays, and although Mrs. Heffley insists that Rodrick complete his own assignments, Mr. Heffley—who is more introverted and impatient when it comes to things being just right—can’t stand the thought of his son submitting lackluster work. Kinney uses chapter three to establish a running gag related to Rodrick’s terrible schoolwork and how the family helps cover for him, thus enabling his behavior. As the family dynamics become more complicated, Kinney weaves the themes of Family Roles and Dishonesty and Telling the Truth together and blurs the lines between the parents and their children as they all participate in deception to cover for Rodrick.

Kinney also highlights Rodrick’s band as a point of contention in the Heffley household. Greg and his father both find Rodrick’s music terrible, so they leave the house to escape from the sounds of the band practicing. However, Greg’s mom is hugely supportive of whatever her children want to do, even if she doesn’t “get” it herself. When Mr. Heffley complains about Rodrick’s music and the crowd of teenagers in his driveway, Mrs. Heffley insists that Rodrick is an artist and the teenagers surrounding the Heffley house are simply appreciating the music. Mrs. Heffley sticks up for Rodrick and his band whereas the introverted Mr. Heffley wants nothing to do with it and is annoyed by the music and culture that surrounds it. While Mrs. Heffley tries to accept her children’s interests, Mr. Heffley is more rigid and wants his boys to fit his perception of acceptable “decency” and masculinity.