The Glass Castle Book Analysis The Glass Castle is a memoir by Jeanette Walls. She describes her life growing up in the dysfunctional Wall family. The book started when she was 3 years old, she was cooking some food on the stove and ended up burning half of her torso which resulted in her being hospitalized for 6 weeks. Her family came to the hospital and checked out “Rex Walls- Style” and a few days later vacated the city entirely (Walls, 2005, p. 14).…
In the Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls describes her childhood and her views of the world as she grew up. She pushed herself through poverty to eventually become successful. Throughout the book, Jeannette describes her horrific ordeals and crazy adventures her family had. They moved to dozens of different places and even lived in the family car for some time. The Glass Castle shows Jeannette’s power of forgiveness, a common theme in the book.…
Jeannette Walls is the author of “The Glass Castle” it based on her childhood in the 70s when her family was having a rough time and moving from place to place. She is a strong willed little girl in this book and she loves doing the skaddatle( moving around). She constantly talks about her mother, father, and siblings. She also mentions how differently her and her mother see things like trees and what not because her mother is a painter. She is a very independent young lady and also very smart.…
The Glass Castle, a memoir by Jeannette Walls reveals one look into a dysfunctional family. This personal memoir is full of lessons of redemption and reliance for all. Jeannette and her siblings thrived with parents whose beliefs and stubborn ways of life, changed their children’s’ lives forever. Though their parent’s dreadful actions, the children tried to fend for them. Rex, a very brilliant man, when sober and Rose Mary, an inspirational artist, when not a panhandler risked their own lives daily. Even though Rex and Rose Mary’s lives were unstable at times, they would instill lessons into their children. Their philophies in life I believe relied on one another, which taught their children some valuable morals. Wall’s parents’ philosophies on life was to encourage self-sufficiency, self-reliance, to dream big, live life to its extent and to embrace life fearlessly. Even though the parents believed in these standards, they never truly lived by the above.…
To begin with, The Glass Castle is a memoir that follows Jeannette Walls and her family. Throughout the book Jeannette, her brother and sisters, and her parents move throughout the southwest living in all kinds of different places, but no matter where they go they are always facing poverty. Rex, Jeannette’s father, is a brilliant man, who when sober, taught Jeannette and her sisters and brother physics, geology, and most of all, how to take on life courageously. Rose Mary, Jeannette’s mother, who painted and wrote, could not handle…
Jeannette Walls’ memoir, The Glass Castle, characterises Jeanette’s childhood as having dysfunctional parents and having constant poverty. What I found remarkable about Jeanette’s story is that although Jeanette’s parents were careless, neglectful and irresponsible, they were able to manage to create key children qualities and raise well adjusted adults. Jeanette's parents taught their children to be independent, resilient and to have a love for learning. These are invaluable gifts that will last a lifetime and breed success.…
The Glass Castle, a memoir written by Jeannette Walls is an eye-opening look at the world of poverty that touches so many lives within in the United States. There are many reasons for poverty wheather they be out of consequence or one is simply born into it there are many reason for its occurance. The story of Jeannette Walls is not only inspiring but motivating as her climb from the depths poverty allow her to become the successful journalist and novelist she is today. Throughout her life there have been many struggles including her own father, Rex Walls, the finicial instability their family faces together, and the bullies Jeannette must face alone. She clearly outlines her own growth with her father throughout the novel and proves that with…
It is more than likely that more than one person has read or watched fictional works of literature where the main character faces obstacles and trauma, but in spite of all the adversity they overcome their struggles and go on to live a long successful and happy life. Today, many individuals are suffering from trauma and are faced with many obstacles in their lives. For example, young adults, may live in situations where they suffer from abuse due to alcoholism, mental illness, or food insecurity. A work of literature that relates to this real-world issue is The New York Times Bestseller, The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls. In the book, Jeanette discusses her abnormal life as a child and as a young adult. Regardless of their struggles in life,…
In the memoir The Glass Castle, author Jeannette Walls describes her troubled childhood and the daily struggles she encountered. Jeannette grew up with two sisters, one brother, and two absurd parents. Living with her carefree and reckless mother and abusive, alcoholic father could be unbearable to Jeannette at times. The dysfunctional family never stayed in one place for too long, and the constant moving between states proved challenging to the education and development of the Walls kids. With her parents out, it became Jeannette’s job to take care of her younger siblings. As rough as her childhood got, Jeannette never lost hope in her dreams, because she had big plans for the future and nothing was going to get in her way. The adventurous Jeannette survived through the abuse of her parents, tormenting of schoolmates, and financial lows, which made her character even more realistic and unique. Jeannette’s qualities of hard work, independence, and resilience sculpted her into the multidimensional character she is today.…
Do you think that too much change in a family can cause dysfunction? Well in the story “The Glass Castle” the author Jeanette Walls tells her story about how the changes in her family caused dysfunction amongst them. Through her experiences, she shows her readers how changes caused mainly by her father changed the lives of their family. In “The Glass Castle” the author uses simile, imagery, and flashback to show the message of change.…
Throughout the story, Walls uses astounding imagery to describe her family’s living conditions which helps the reader understand the family’s severe levels of poverty and disorder. In the winter, life on Little Hobart Street for the Walls was depressing due to the dreary weather. While sitting together in front of the stove and cuddling up in big blankets to try and stay warm, Walls states that the difference between the temperature inside and outside was only a few degrees. Once Brian realizes there is no insulation in the house, Jeannette tells Rosemary of her aversion for the cold and the winter months, as usual Rose Mary responds that winter kills germs, yet an odd sentence it was able to get her out of any additional explanation of a comment given by one of her children. Rose Mary’s response demonstrates her philosophy that putting her children in danger due to a belief that overcoming obstacles is crucial to infusing them with a strong sense of independence. This strong sense of independence is very prominent in Walls, and allows her to support herself throughout the memoir.…
A quality education is one of the most important things a human being can receive in their lifetime. It can lead to amazing opportunities and experiences that may not be available to others who do not have proper education. Some families cannot afford the best possible schooling for their children so they have to settle for less. This is not always the case. The Glass Castle defies all statistics and shows the story of how three low income children grew up to be successful in their own way—despite the many obstacles the children face regarding their education during the formative years. The keys to the Walls children’s success can be found in three aspects: 1) Their parents’ emphasis on reading and questioning 2) Their acceptance into the gifted/talented programs in Phoenix and 3) Their resilience during their time in the Welch School District.…
A. Jeannette Walls, in her memoir The Glass Castle, demonstrates Erikson’s eight stages of development. Through the carefully recounted stories of her childhood and adolescence, we are able to trace her development from one stage to the next. While Walls struggles through some of the early developmental stages, she inevitably succeeds and has positive outcomes through adulthood. The memoir itself is not only the proof that she is successful and productive in middle adulthood, but the memoir may also have been part of her healing process. Writing is often a release and in writing her memoir and remembering her history, she may have been able to come to terms with her sad past. The memoir embodies both the proof that she has successfully graduated through Erickson’s stages of development while also being the reason that she is able to do so.…
Maureen is often forgotten throughout the entire story of The Glass Castle written by Jeannette Walls. We are very tragically reminded of Maureen’s presence when she stabs her own mother while living in New York. Reflecting back to the beginning of the story, we can see why Maureen has a mental breakdown. She is born into a world of violence, her parents fail to care for her, and she lives her entire childhood in neglect.…
1. Life in the city began to annoy Dad after a while. He became sick of the orderliness of the city and had a disdain for their view for wildlife. This is similar to how my mother felt when she was new to the US. She was accustomed to life in Nigeria, where she didn’t have to worry about things like tax forms and bank accounts. Additionally, she was familiar with the diverse wildlife of West Africa. Coming to the U.S. was a large change for her just like the city was a large change for Dad.…