The Gift of Independence
Jeannette Walls was given independence at the age of three. Independence reinforces an individual's ability to mature quicker to adjust to the real world. In the memoir, The Glass Castle, the three oldest children are able to construct a better life for themselves even throughout their parent's shortcomings. Jeannette's father constantly falls victim to alcoholism, while her mom is repeatedly shown to be selfish towards her family. Their parenting methods were absurd compared to the typical norm, however Jeannette always strived to see the good in her parents. Through her father, she was able to become a strong, independent, self-sufficient woman. Her perspectives towards her parents changed throughout the memoir as she matured. Jeannette and her siblings were often abandoned by their father because of his drinking problem. During one night at their new home, a stranger was able to sneak into their house and began to molest Jeannette. The children were forced to deal with the situation themselves due to their parent’s absence. She recounts, “We searched for him for a few blocks, Brian whacking at the bushes with
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After her Junior year in high school, she planned on moving to New York City. Her mom did not show any feelings other than jealousy of Jeannette’s decision. On the other hand, her father showed remorse for her daughter’s choice. He tried his best to convince Jeannette to stay with the family. Her father reminds Jeannette, “If things don't work out, you can always come home, I’ll be here for you. You know that don’t you?” (Walls 240) Jeannette can ultimately see that her father has nothing, but love for his daughter even through his poor decisions. This helps reinforce the idea of the memoir being written in order to honor her parents. The lessons learned as a child have served her well into
’But I could tell that she had. The lady grew quiet, and for the rest of the trip, no one said much. As soon as she dropped us off, dad disappeared. I waited on the front steps until bedtime, but he didn’t come home.”(121). From this quote the reader can tell is that Jeannette is very optimistic because after the lady picked them up and called her family
Jeannette Walls tells the story about her life growing up. Her family wasn 't exactly homeless, but they didn 't have a secure place to stay. They traveled all over the country looking for new adventures. She 's the age of 3 when she tells her first adventures. As the middle daughter of very strange and unique parents, she became a very mature and responsible child..
In the memoir, The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls, the author, was most influenced by her time in the desert, as indicated by how she describes the time live in different places and how it has shaped her into the woman she is today. Jeanette’s time in Welch changed the way she viewed the world. Jeanette was harshly bullied by many different girls at her new school in Welch. One time she was surrounded by six girls and one girl said, “You think you [are] better than us?” and Jeannette replied with “No... I think we’re all equal.”
Jeannette Walls’, The Glass Castle, is a nonfiction story about a lower class family that is poor and short on food, solving all their problems by constantly moving around the united states. Written through her voice, Jeannette is able to put humor and objectivity in her memoir despite the very hard life she has lived. She is not judgmental about the constant moving her family did to avoid bill collectors and to find work for father. Jeannette believes that Rex’s fantasies can come true and that the family can overcome their adversity. It is clear that Jeannette is hard working and intelligent, knowing that she wants to be a journalist even when she’s young.
Gabriel bravo Ms.Hayes ERWC March. 16, 2018 The Glass castle The book The Glass Castle is a memoir based on the life and experiences of Jeannette Walls while growing up with her family. The main characters in the walls family are Rex the dad, Rose Mary the mom , and their children lori, maureen, brian and Jeanette the protagonist.
The bigger picture was her mom’s childhood and the difficult circumstances she had to live through. It can be seen that while Jeannette was writing this memoir she realized that her
The Consequences of the Walls Children's Insufficient Upbringing In Jeannette Walls' memoir, "The Glass Castle," the author reflects on her childhood and the impact of her parents' unorthodox parenting style. Throughout the book, Walls recounts instances where her parents, Rose Mary and Rex Walls, neglected, starved, and failed to provide a stable home for their children. As a result of their irresponsible behavior, the children in "The Glass Castle" suffered from a lack of basic necessities, emotional trauma, and long-lasting scars. Although Jeannette’s parents’ parenting style can be clearly identified as horrific as it left Jeanette and her siblings afflicted and broken, their unconventional methods can be argued that it actually had a few
The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls, is a powerful memoir about Jeannette and her siblings overcoming poverty, the struggles of living with an alcoholic father, and a mother who clearly had some form of mental illness. Jeannette is the main character in the book and tells of her upbringing and how dysfunctional her parents were. She explains the many struggles her siblings went through, how it impacted all of their lives, and how she grew up to be a successful person. Though the story was truly meant to inspire others and promote the theme of there’s always light at the end of the tunnel so never let anyone keep you from your dream, many parents were furious when they found out their child was reading it. Sections of the book about violence,
The book, The Glass Castle written by Jeannette Walls, was about her younger self along with her family explaining how they struggled through hard challenges such as relationships, financially, and mainly through life. Jeannette had to learn to survive on her own by growing up fast to an adult in order to take care of her siblings, when her parents wouldn’t, and had to fit into the normal world outside of their home. It was very hard for Jeannette and her siblings to attend school because they would always move to different locations and they didn’t have the clothes that everyone else had, or didn’t have enough food to make them look healthy, and it was difficult for them to make friends with other people, when people from each town viewed
The two respective lives in which Jeannette Walls and the boy live could not be anymore distinctive, but each has to overcome insurmountable odds and find the humanity within themselves to gain the courage to help out others at the same time. Jeannette and her siblings attempt to move out of their house in Welch, by raising money to move to New York. Jeannette is given a chance to help herself get to New York by a neighbor, who asks if she would travel with them for the summer and they will buy her a ticket back, but Jeannette refuses and instead insists they take her sister: ‘Take Lori instead of me, I said. And at the end of the summer, buy her a bus ticket to New York”’(Walls 230). Jeannette and her sister have been raising up money for
Jeannette narrowly escapes rape, but because her father exploits her in a way that makes it seem like she would consent to underage sex, she is abused. The sexual abuse Jeannette suffers results in her having more trust in her own intuition as she
Jeanette’s mother then tells her that her values are all wrong. Jeanette opens up to her mother about being embarrassed and passing her up in the streets. When her mother asks her why, Jeannette says, “I was too ashamed, Mom. I hid”(5). This quote also relates to her childhood.
The Merriam Webster dictionary defines childhood as “The early period in the development of something.” For some children their childhood is idyllic and some of the best, most carefree years of their life. Unfortunately, one cannot control their childhood. Many children who grow up with parents that are in and out of jail, alcoholics and or drug addicts, grow up to be just like them.
Jeannette Walls’ Memoir, “The Glass Castle”, tells a story of a dysfunctional family who uses magic, fantasy, and life lessons to get through their hectic lives. Jeannette starts off her book with such a story about seeing her mother ramming through garbage in New York City. Jeannette feels a sense of shame about her Mom’s life and begins to reflect on her childhood and how her parents’ choices affected her. If you ask me I would say it was very dramatic, which grabs your attention knowing someone is telling about their own life intrigued me to keep reading.
They think they can bend the rules and do what they think is necessary. Jeannette is exposed to these understandings, making her the person she grew up to be. Jeanette demonstrates how she struggles with her family throughout numerous portions of the novel: “The Desert,” “Welch,” New York.” These struggles developed and defined who she came to be.