Summary and Analysis of Jeannette Walls' Memoir, The Glass Castle

Jeannette Walls’ memoir, The Glass Castle, touches on family values and important life lessons throughout. Her father is subject to much attention, and provides many of said lessons through both his speeches and his actions. One of Rex’s most memorable and influential snippets is introduced when he gives Jeannette the memorable “sink or swim” advice, literally. Jeannette’s father Rex had always been a fosterer of independence from what her book tells us. During this particular chapter, we see him take it to somewhat of an extreme. While on Battle Mountain the family would go to “Hot Pots”, otherwise known as hot springs. Jeannette didn’t know how to swim, but Rex figured she had to learn at some point, so he dragged her across the water and let go. This is not the best method for teaching a kid how to swim, but Rex never really believed in conventional methods anyway. When she started to drown, he did save her. Next time, he shouted out “Sink or swim!” and she didn’t feel him coming to save her (Walls, 66). So she swam. She learned that if she didn’t want to sink, then she’d better swim.

This memorable passage that fostered independence in Jeannette comes in later in the book towards the end. Jeannette was upstairs with Robbie when he “pawed” her some. Her father didn’t come to the rescue, so she saved herself from being used. She swam. Rex actually says to her afterwards, “you might have been convinced you were going to drown, but I knew you’d do just fine,”(Walls, 213). Later on in the memoir, she heads off to NYC to live with Laurie and get away from her unstable family. She doesn’t really know how she’s going to survive once she gets there, but she takes the plunge and dive in headfirst. Again, she swims.

Although “sink or swim” can be applied to anyone’s life, it held a place in my life even before I read the memoir. This advice has been given to me in a similar way to Jeannette, when my brother tried to teach me how to swim by