...The Glass Castle In The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, the author reflects on her childhood growing up in an unstable household. The theme of Walls’ memoir reveals that a lifestyle change results in the ability to rely on oneself. Throughout the The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls’ actions, dialogue, and thoughts in response to events in her dysfunctional childhood shows that an unstable childhood does not have to negatively impact an individual. In the rising action, Jeannette’s actions during the period of time that her father is not around, conveys an essential moment of her acquiring a role of responsibility in her own life. The author writes, “We couldn’t afford wood any more than we could afford coal, and Dad wasn’t around to chop and split any, which meant it was up to us kids to gather dead branches and logs from the forest” (pg. 175). Jeannette Walls is trying to explain her childhood with a father that is an...
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...The Walls family throughout The Glass Castle faced a wide variety of problems that helped establish the ominous, problematic, and somber tone of the story. First, the family faced many economic hardships which made it difficult for them to establish a stable life. Also, the two parents, Rex and Rose-Mary Walls had many unacceptable and unbreakable habits which did not help the family progress with their poverty. Finally, Jeannette Walls had many personal struggles and development in her life that helped contribute to the emotion evoked in the memoir, especially in the latter parts. As a result of the family’s poverty, the parent’s habitual issues, and Jeannette’s growth as a person overall establish the darker and depressing tone of the story....
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...In life we learn numerous life lessons, usually by trial and error, but we can also receive these messages through literature. The two memoirs The Glass Castle and Rocket Boys were no exception. The parallel between these two books is the moral that you must work hard in order to achieve your goals. In The Glass Castle, written by Jeanette Walls, Jeanette, as a young girl, learns that in order to get food or money it has to come from her own hard work. If Jeanette was desperate for money she, “Walked along the roadside picking up beer cans and bottles that we [Jeanette and her brother Bryan] redeemed for two cents each” (Walls 62). However, her true dream was to become a journalist. As she grew older, Jeanette was able to get a job at...
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...War is an enigma, from deciding the consequences and benefits to protesters against the final decision, war has always been a difficult and controversial time. Countries such as ours who have spent around 95% of our time at war, the citizens seemed to have been desensitized to war. For most people, it is a matter of it being out of sight and out of mind. However, there are over 21 million veterans in America. Not only did the struggle battle for our country but their families faced separation, lack of a father/mother figure and the fear of never seeing their loved ones again. In Linkin Park’s Castle of Glass music video, there is a clear link to a story from war. It starts out with the arrival of tragedy to a young boy’s heart and home. A general...
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...Imagine having or not having your mother or father by your side when you need them the most! In the novel The Glass Castle, the author Jeanette has the presence of both parents but they aren’t so good at parenting. Jeannette was mostly raising herself on her own because her parents always had struggles which affected on how they were getting treated or raised. In the the novel The Other Wes Moore, the author Wes Moore only had his mother Joy since his father died when he was the age of three. As for the other Wes Moore, he never got to meet his father but has his mother Mary. The presence or absence of a family did affect each and every one of them. I say this because even though Jeanette had her both parents they were basically absence from...
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...Although Rex is a brilliant father who can hold on to his ideals and support the family, his biggest shortcoming is his constant fall to alcoholism, which causes him to conduct poor decisions and dishonesty to his children. When his children need him, he simply drinks to wash away his problems. In the memoir, The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls recounts a story that begins with a young girl and her dysfunctional family traveling throughout the United States resettling from town to town. Rex’s alcoholism and selfish decisions put the family in constant lamentable poverty. Even though the family experience an occasional boost of inspiration or kindness, his actions often times do more harm than good for the family. Although Rex may appear to...
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...Throughout the memoir The Glass Castle, the most palpable theme is forgiveness. From Jeanette’s earliest memory of getting burned by cooking on her own, The Wall’s children were consistent matters of ache and let down due to their parents actions, in spite of the fact that they kept overlooking their mistakes. The second chapter opens up with a three year old cooking hot dogs. She ends up burning herself multiple times and has to be hospitalized. After returning home from the hospital, the mother lets her continue making hot dogs and says “Good for you, you have got to get right back in the saddle” (15). The author consistently demonstrates how she holds no negative sentiments toward her parents and the unpleasant childhood she went through....
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...Hiding Identity with a glass shield in The Glass Castle In this passage two of the Walls children, Lori and Jeannette, are discussing about their father losing his job and not being able to provide food for them. When they become hungrier and hungrier they made a decision to eat a margarine stick which most people would be disgusted by, but they only did it so that they didn’t have to starve any longer. Because of this family suppressing their true identity of being poor, they always have to be paranoid about others finding out about the truth or that tax collectors will catch them, they don’t have a chance to make real friends, and they also have to go days without eating when someone could help them if they spoke up and allowed them to. All of the reasons to keep their true identity hidden just hurts them and the...
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...The Glass Castle is a descriptive memoir written from the perspective of Jeannette Walls. As she eventually finds success as a writer, Jeanette recounts her dreadful childhood she faces raised by eccentric and egotistical parents. Rex and Mary, her parents, are very non-functional because of their drinking habits. Mom and Dad are very energetic people who push their kids, learing how to nurture themselves by feeding, clothing, and protecting one another. Jeannette Walls applies the lesson of self-discipline from her childhood in order to be self-sufficient in New York City. While not being the parent she wishes to have, Jeanette’s Dad teachers her to be self reliant when he tells her that she would be fine when learning how to swim. Jeanette...
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...Jeannette Walls, I have always known that I am privileged. The daughter of a dentist and two loving parents, the youngest of 4 college graduates, and a child of little heart ache or misery. But, it really takes learning about someone else’s experiences to truly understand how blessed you are. While reading your book, The Glass Castle, there were times that I questioned if things had really happened. It was impossible for me to think of a world where people are constantly abused, sexually, physically and emotionally, and moved all over for no personal gain. You saw this and more and you were willing to share it making this a book that I feel very proud to have read. I have never been that great of a reader. I have always been slow and self conscious so I do not read very often. But, when I do read, I love it. This book was no exception. Your use of imagery and detail kept me latched on to your every word. There were many occasions when I went back to reread one of your impeccably written passages and just soak in your structure and narration. I actually began reading this book on my first trip ever out west to the Arizona, Utah, New Mexico area where most of...
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...Entrepreneur Jim Rohn said “You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.” In The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, Rose Mary wants to follow her life long dream of creating famous art. She used what limited amount of money the family has on art supplies and spends most of her time painting or sketching, usually ignoring her other responsibilities. Dreams can help guide a person through the passage from childhood to adulthood, but as an adult many times other responsibilities must take precedent over dreams. Adulthood comes with more responsibilities, for instance children. If a child has to starve or live in poverty because...
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...A wise person once said, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” But what is the reality of this statement? Are children always similar or identical to their parents behaviour? The memoir The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a piece of literature that one can study and relate to this philosophy. Children are influenced to become who they are by their parents’ positive and negative actions. Jeannette’s creativity is derived from her parents. Her mother, Rose Mary Walls, has possessed artistic abilities since she was a child. Throughout The Glass Castle, Rose Mary is always painting. When she is stressed or has spare time, she grabs a brush and a canvas and lets the paint flow. Jeannette’s father, Rex Walls has a big imagination and...
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...In Jeannette Walls’ memoir The Glass Castle, out of all of the children Jeannette is the most admirable. Because Jeannette is so willing to put others before herself,and she has so much confidence in others. Jeannette is constantly talking about how amazing Lori is, and Jeannette has no doubt Lori will become a successful artist, (222). This is just one example of how Jeannette is always building others up. Jeannette has no problem with lifting others up above herself in order for them to thrive and that is why she often has a soft spot for Rex the way no one else in the family did, and he is always taking advantage of it(209). But Jeannette always looks for the good in people even if it's buried in bad. She has a way of forgiving his past...
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...Enrolled in preschool where I danced and played happily with my friends, no one would guess that I was usually at home crestfallen without anybody looking after me. My dad was working 3 low wage jobs, my mom sewing at a clothing factory, and I was walking back and forth from school and home. My cousin’s parents were working too so we had no one to really take care of us. The adults were all working desperately to try to pay the rent for a down trodden house that could barely hold both families. Contrary to our pessimistic views, my cousin and I still grew up to be one of the hardest working students and one of the smartest in each of our classes. I recently read several novels that depict what I learned from childhood. Jeannette Walls’ The Glass Castle, Janet Fitch’s White Oleander, and Karen Hesse's Out of the Dust are all novels that illustrate the theme that unfortunate childhood experiences do not always equate to an inferior or desolate adulthood. In Out of the Dust, Karen Hesse writes about a girl named Billie Jo that lived on a farm during the Dust Bowl. She writes “The dirt blew down so thick it scratched my eyes and stung my tender skin, it plugged my nose and filled inside my mouth”(Hesse 143). Hesse illustrates how Billie Jo grew up having to deal with things like dust flooding into her house. She explains how Billie Jo lived in poverty on a dying farm during the harsh and dry Dust Bowl. The reader see that Billie Jo is struggling for life and is not hopeful for a new and...
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...Rex and rosemary were the parents in the Glass Castle. These parents were not like require parents. They were very poor. They didn’t even have money for food or even a house for their 3 children. “We packed up in the middle of the night and took off driving until mom and dad found another small town “pg. 19. They have 2 girls and one boy. They all are around each other’s age. Rex is the dad he is an alcohol that when he drinks he’s very rude to anyone and everyone just like any alcohol. Rex is somebody that thinks he’s going to find gold. “One of his important invention was complicated confrontation he called the prospector” pg. 23. Rosemary is the mom of the three kids. She is someone that really only cares about herself. I don’t believe they really like the way they live. They are always out of money and it’s not getting easier Rex and rosemary both share a car and the car they have doesn’t run good and not really big enough to fit all them and everything they own to take with them everywhere. They would go from city to city to state to state all in one car and everything they own. I don’t think anyone would be okay with living the life like this family does it just seem like way too much. “Dad brings how a few groceries and two days the family has food. When mom catches Lori and Jeanette eating the last of the Maureen mixed with sugar, she yells at...
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