Character Analysis: The Glass Castle

Due to her family’s constant negatively impacted actions, Jeannette grows to mistrust them. One such action happens near the beginning of the book, when the kids are still trusting and loyal to their parents. It was in Battle Mountain while the weather was cold, and the dad figured that to warm up the family was going to go to a hot spot up north. So the family visits the waterhole and starts to swim in it. During that time Jeannette is the only one out of the three kids that could not swim, so Rex takes it upon himself to teach her. Unfortunately, Rex’s method of teaching was unorthodox as well as dangerous. The method involved dragging Jeannette to the middle of the water and prying her loose from him, allowing her to sink underneath while
What makes his broken promise even worse is that he assaults Rosemary, the mom, in a violent fit of anger involving damages to the interior house and various shouting that terrifies the kids. This causes Jeannette to not only be disappointed by Rex, but to also not trust anymore of his promises, including the Glass Castle that he has yet to build or even start. Similarly, Jeannette would also grow to expect failure and lying from Rex that would eventually become true for Rosemary as well. After never bringing up the mere name of the Glass Castle in their entirety of living in Phoenix, papa Walls suggests that Jeannette and Brian build a hole for the foundation of the glass castle while living in Welch, an idea that the two gladly bring to reality. Despite their hardwork and devotion to the dream, the hole for the foundation is used as a garbage pit by the family to the anguish of Brian and Jeannette. Therefore, Jeannette no longer has faith in Rex, losing her belief in their dream of the glass castle. Similarly, Jeannette also grows even more distrusting of Rex, finally giving up in trying to believe his false