The Glass Castle Analysis

Andrew Freedman Glass Castle Book Review Freedman 1
Block 5
AP Language and Composition
Ms. Snedeker The Glass Castle is a chilling memoir written by the writer Jeannette Walls. The memoir is about her unfortunate childhood, which involved constantly being on the move due to her father Rex’s drinking problems getting them into debt or losing him a job. The author has a way of describing things that leaves readers emotionally connected, sympathetic, grateful, wanting more and many other reactions. Overall, The Glass Castle was an excellent life affirming and inspiring memoir. Jeanette Walls writes The Glass Castle in a way that causes readers to have sympathy or at least connect emotionally with her. One of the instances in which
we as readers are almost forced to have sympathy is at the beginning of the book when Walls is accidentally thrown out of a speeding car. The quote is “ I rolled several yards along the embankment, and when I came to a stop, I was too shocked to cry, with my breath knocked out and grit and pebbles in my eyes and mouth. I lifted my head in time to watch the Green Caboose get smaller and smaller and then disappear around a bend.” (Walls 30) She writes as if she is a child and then sends the reader back into a whole string of emotions from their childhood. She draws up sympathy through this quote by further going on to say that her parents had actually left her there and that she was completely helpless, which is horrible to feel. This is the first of many actions in the book that could easily traumatize a child for the rest of their life. Freedman 2 The book doesn’t truly go into too much detail throughout its entirety. This leaves a sense of wanting more but also leaves the reader possibly suspicious as to how truthful the memoir really is. The problem with deciding whether the book is actually a memoir, meaning it is a true story is that since the names of everyone in the book are changed, no evidence can be turned up to decide. Therefore, Walls should be given the benefit of the doubt as to whether her book is fact or fiction. The Glass Castle sends a very positive message by showing just how independent a young person can be and how there is always a way to succeed.
Independence is shown in Walls at a very young age, doing things such as cooking at the age of three. This is shown in the following quote “I felt a blaze of heat on my right side. I turned to see where it was coming from and realized my dress was on fire. Frozen with fear, I watched the yellow-white flames make a ragged brown line up the pink fabric of my skirt and climb my stomach. Then the flames leaped up, reaching my face.” (Walls 9) This in itself is amazing that her parents first of all were that belligerent that they would let a three year old cook hot dogs and equally amazing that a three year old was hungry enough that they had learned how to cook hot dogs for themselves, instead of waiting for parents like most children have to. This isn’t the only time that she has to show extreme independence. When she is in her teens she decides to get a job at a jewelry store so that she can leave to go to New York City. This opportunity is originally ruined again by her father Rex. Either way, extreme poverty and ignorant parents made Walls completely self-sufficient at a very young
age. Freedman 3 Lastly, readers are left completely despising the likes of the authors’ parents Rex and Rosemary Walls. For the most part throughout the entire book Jeannette tries to show them in a better light so that they don’t seem as terrible of parents. This still isn’t mitigated for readers when they have to read about all of the ignoring, detachedness of Rosemary from her children and the half-assed get rich quick schemes of her father Rex. Unlike Rosemary, Rex does have his moments where he tends to strengthen his relationship with Walls by making up for his mistakes such as paying for her college tuition with gambling winnings to make up for the fact that he stole money from her originally meant for going to New York. Overall her relationship with him ends on a good note and she toasts to his spirit when the family gets together during the end of the book. The Glass Castle, with all of its flaws included was an excellent read that makes putting the book down an extreme challenge. Through a uniquely crafted writing style and the plot of a good old fashioned underdog story, Jeannette Walls has created a book that should be recommended to readers everywhere.

Bibliography Freedman 4 Walls, Jeannette. The Glass Castle: A Memoir. New York: Scribner, 2005. Print.