The Glass Castle
THE
GLASS
CASTLE
Jeannette Walls
An essay by LiiseLotte Vilimaa
Question 1
The protagonist, Jeannette Walls, had many significant issues and that were extremely embarrassing, shocking and sad. In this book, her parents and their lifestyle were the prime reason for her issues. Part One of
The Glass Castle foreshadows the rest of the book. It shows a prime example of her parents being one of the most embarrassing and sad things in her life. As she sits in a taxi in New York, she sees her mom picking through a dumpster on the side of the road and at that very moment she
“slid down in the seat and asked the driver to turn around and take me home to Park Avenue”(3). Her childhood was rough and quite mortifying to the outside eye, and of course Jeannette didn’t realize that as a child, it was all she knew. As a child, you have seen so little so you have nothing to really compare your life to. Jeannettes parents also never let their children complain about anything. They learned to live with and handle what they got. As Jeanette got older she started realizing she really didn’t prefer her parents lifestyle. Her parents did not want to change and wanted to keep on living the same way they always had. As she realizes this she gets ready to move away to New York, where her older sister lives. The older she got the more embarrassed she seemed to feel about how they live and have lived. If someone found out about her parents and who they really are, she was sure there would be all sorts of comments, questions and judgements. The habits her parents possess are very different from the ordinary and though they are surviving on the bare minimum they have always refused any sort of aid. Even though their lifestyle wasn’t particularly nurturing and caring for their children, Jeanettes parents loved her and her siblings in some sort of way anyhow. Rex seemed to particularly, in some sort of twisted way, love Jeannette. He
GLASS
CASTLE
Jeannette Walls
An essay by LiiseLotte Vilimaa
Question 1
The protagonist, Jeannette Walls, had many significant issues and that were extremely embarrassing, shocking and sad. In this book, her parents and their lifestyle were the prime reason for her issues. Part One of
The Glass Castle foreshadows the rest of the book. It shows a prime example of her parents being one of the most embarrassing and sad things in her life. As she sits in a taxi in New York, she sees her mom picking through a dumpster on the side of the road and at that very moment she
“slid down in the seat and asked the driver to turn around and take me home to Park Avenue”(3). Her childhood was rough and quite mortifying to the outside eye, and of course Jeannette didn’t realize that as a child, it was all she knew. As a child, you have seen so little so you have nothing to really compare your life to. Jeannettes parents also never let their children complain about anything. They learned to live with and handle what they got. As Jeanette got older she started realizing she really didn’t prefer her parents lifestyle. Her parents did not want to change and wanted to keep on living the same way they always had. As she realizes this she gets ready to move away to New York, where her older sister lives. The older she got the more embarrassed she seemed to feel about how they live and have lived. If someone found out about her parents and who they really are, she was sure there would be all sorts of comments, questions and judgements. The habits her parents possess are very different from the ordinary and though they are surviving on the bare minimum they have always refused any sort of aid. Even though their lifestyle wasn’t particularly nurturing and caring for their children, Jeanettes parents loved her and her siblings in some sort of way anyhow. Rex seemed to particularly, in some sort of twisted way, love Jeannette. He