Analysis Of The Glass Castle By Jeanette Walls

Martin Luther King Jr. once stated that, “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” Dr. King, a strong leader during the Civil Rights Movement, heavily enforced civil disobedience to defy racist Jim Crow Laws through sit-ins, marches, boycotts, and many other operations. Many of these actions often led to bloodshed and violence. One particular group, the Black Panthers, manifested their ideals through committing harmful actions. They carried arms on themselves whilst patrolling areas looking for instances of police brutality. This may seem unjust, however the Blacks took it upon themselves to defend their lives and property, as they did not feel like the police force were capable, or even cared about, protecting them. Through

Despite all the exasperation and judgement faced by the Walls children, the narrative is presented in almost a fairy tale fashion where everything appeared to be bittersweet. One particular incident that often arises controversy is what the mother, Rosemary Walls, calls "justifiable pilfering". The first time this incident occurred was when Maureen was enrolling in preschool but did not have new outfits. However, the family was not able to afford new clothes, so the mother encouraged the children to go shoplifting. She explained to Jeanette that "God doesn't mind you bending the rules a little if you have good reason. It's sort of like justifiable homicide. This is justifiable pilfering." Rosemary's intention to bend the rules is clearly kindhearted, wanting at least one of her children to dress well and fit into the

Even so, as seen in the text, when Jeanette was at her friend's house, she tried to steal food from her friend. She explained, "If I was playing in a friend's yard, I'd ask if I could use the bathroom, and if no one was in the kitchen, I'd grab something out of the refrigerator or the cupboard and take it into the bathroom and eat it there, always making a point of flushing the toilet before leaving." Evidently, many might say that Jeanette was badly influenced by her mother into thinking that it is okay to steal. However, it is apparent that the family was in a desperate situation and was in serious need of food. As shown in the text, the parents were often unable to bring food to the table. One of the most extreme incidents of the children’s struggle for food was when they resorted to a dish called “poke salad” which composed of a big batch of pokeweed that grew behind their house. Additionally, Jeanette often had to scavenge for food through the trash cans at her high school. It is apparent that if they did not “bend the rules” and steal food from their friends, they would have ended up in