Being blind to the toxicity of somone’s own household can shape the future that awaits them. In Jeannette Walls’ book, The Glass Castle, she reveals the saga of her troubling, adventurous, and at times, dangerous childhood. With scarce resources available for her family, she and her siblings rely on intangible forms of stability. Hope, frequently represented in a profound use of symbolism throughout the memoir, is one of the many ways the Walls children are able to overcome their adversities. Furthermore, Jeannette Walls’ use of this figurative language adds a complex aspect to her influential narration of how hope helped her and her siblings escape their troubling household.
For example, Jeannette uses a piggy bank to represent their strong …show more content…
Her anticipation for some sense of protection can be represented by the geodes that were given to her by Jeannette. For Jeannette, her geodes were beautiful, valuable objects. “From the outside, geodes looked like boring round rocks, but when you broke them open with a chisel and hammer, the insides were hollow, like a cave, and the walls were covered with glittering white quartz crystals or sparkling purple amethysts” (Walls 60). Not only can these rocks symbolize Jeannette’s own self, but in the same fashion, can be examined further and explained in more depth. The most compelling evidence when analyzed, is her choice for choosing quartz and amethyst in her description of the geode. Many people use quartz to protect and heal themselves and other people; the rock is said to absorb negative energy and purify the area around it. Amethyst, on the other hand, guards against drunkenness and instills a sober mind as well as protect from poison. By giving Maureen the rocks, Jeanette anticipated that her sister would be protected from her father’s alcoholic episodes, violence that arose, and would be able to heal every wound that the stress of a broken home caused. Maureen had a small reminder of her sister, but was also being shielded from