In this world, there’s learning things the hard way and the easy way; in Jeannette Wall’s world, there’s only learning things the hard way. The Glass Castle is an adventurous story that reveals the painfully miserable story of Jeannette Walls. A selfish mother, a careless father, and terrible social encounters- these are some of the elements of a harsh reality Rex and Rose Mary Walls failed to shield their children from. Growing up poor was already difficult, but growing up with a selfish parent, specifically an unfeeling mom, made life hell for the Walls children. The family barely had one source of income from Rex Walls, and instead of helping out with the family’s finance issues, Rose Mary spent her days at home painting.
The memoir, The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls, centers around her unorthodox childhood, with her parents avoiding parental responsibilities and acting in accordance to their non-conformist beliefs. During some events in the book, responsibility is seen as equal to self-sufficiency in this book, and Rex and Rose Mary encourages Jeannette and the other children to look out for themselves instead of depending on others. Even though Jeannette’s parents were irresponsible and reckless, they managed to instill responsible, independent, self-sufficient qualities within Jeannette, creating a well-adjusted child. Hardships as a child allow the opportunity to develop a thick skin and become resilient. From a young age, Jeannette Walls and her siblings learned how to be independent for their basic needs because of their father’s, Rex, alcoholism, and their mother, Rose Mary’s, carefree attitude and indulgence in the arts.
In The Glass Castle, Jeannette overcame the obstacles with her parents, poverty, and getting bullied. First, Jeannette moved to the city because she needed to take matters into her own hands. Jeannette could not handle "[moving] around like [a] [nomad]" (Walls, 19) any longer, so she bought a one way ticket to New York City. Jeannette was relieved that she had a chance to start new and get away from the instability of her past. Not only did Jeannette want to get away from her parents, but her siblings did too. Jeannette wanted Brian to live with her and Lori but she was afraid he was "more of a country boy than a city kid" (249). Throughout Brian's whole life, his parents isolated him from everything which led to a difficult transaction to
The Glass Castle is the life story of a girl, Jeannette Walls, and her siblings who grew up in poverty unnecessarily because of their parents’ irresponsibility. One of its themes is that strength and perseverance can significantly improve your chance at success and your future. The Walls children did not allow their childhood struggles prevent them from creating better and brighter futures for themselves. They all grew up impressively sane considering their living conditions.
I viewed Frontline a documentary series, which episode was entitled Poor Kids. The frontline personnel spent time with three children Kailey, Johnny, and Britany along with their families as they all struggle financially. We perceive a glimpse of what it is like to live below the poverty line in America through a child’s eyes. While observing the documentary, I became consciously aware that children who are considered poor or living below the poverty line were more mindful of the responsibilities of life. The children were worrisome of the lack of employment for their parents, bills, and in Britney’s case; how they would accommodate their way of living to support a new addition to the family.
In her memoir, the Glass Castle, Jeanette Wall’s discusses and explores many different concepts that affected her family dynamic and her development. One of these matters is homelessness. Individuals are able to live in a stable environment, sleep in a warm bed, wear clean clothes, and enjoy proper meals; but not all of these basic needs are enjoyed by everyone and their families. This undesirable situation is portrayed in Jeannette Walls novel. Jeannette vividly depicts homelessness by exploring its causes, its impact on daily life, and its effect on her family.
Raising children is a hard job, and many parents can vouch for that. Parents must be loving, make sure their children grow up to be successful, and provide an equal balance of discipline. Jeannette Walls’ memoir, The Glass Castle, follows her from childhood to adulthood as she grows up in an unstable environment but eventually becomes successful in New York City. Jeannette’s parents, Rosemary and Rex Walls, continually make Jeannette’s and her siblings’ – Lori, Brian, and Maureen – childhoods stranger than most. The neglect Jeannette’s parents inflict on her causes her to become stronger and more independent.
In her memoir The Glass Castle, Walls reminisces on her youth and her dysfunctional family. Though very a very unique experience, Jeannette Walls’ childhood may be able to relate to the live that some students are living today. The Glass Castle should be offered as a summer reading because it brings very real issues to life. By discussing issues such as poverty, parental neglect, and sexual abuse, Jeannette Walls exposes students to important
Homelessness in The Glass Castle In the 1960s, according to American Civil Liberties Union, 20% of the United States population were homeless, and shunned from the rest of society because of stereotypes. The Glass Castle is a memoir written by Jeannette Walls, to tell the story of her life growing up as a homeless child with an alcoholic father and an artistic mother. Her memoir is a story about relationships, and how the outside world influences them. In The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls, homeless people are marginalized as uneducated, reckless and mentally unstable.
In her memoir The Glass Castle, Walls reminisces about her youth and her dysfunctional family. Though a very unique experience, Jeannette Walls’ childhood may be able to relate to the lives that some students are living today. The Glass Castle should be offered as a summer reading because it brings very real issues to life. By discussing issues such as poverty, parental neglect, and sexual abuse, Jeannette Walls exposes students to important
Success: An Escape from Privation Inevitably, the conflicts people face at multiple points in their life is a determining factor in shaping individuals into the person they will eventually become. Namely, these conflicts direct people 's behavior over the course of time; contributing to a person’s ability to achieve success. In particular, Jeannette Walls’ The Glass Castle is an honest depiction of her life and the conflicts that arise throughout her state of impoverishment, as well as the success that stems from her hardships.
This grim situation is depicted in the writings of Jeannette Walls. In the memoir, The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls illustrates a perfectly dysfunction childhood characterized by persistent poverty and the chaos of her parents who were stuck in their broke lifestyle. The amazing thing about
A child living in poverty are more prone to mental problems from the age of adolescence to adulthood, they also experience physical insecurities, because when living in poverty you are limited to the healthy foods you are able to eat and have a higher chance of obesity. Studies are correct when they say poverty has many effects on a child’s development throughout adolescence to
The memoir, “The Glass Castle”, written by Jeannette Walls, is a novel filled with hardships and obstacles faced by the author and her dysfunctional family. Living with her depressed mother who weeps and sobs about her struggles in her teaching job, her alcoholic gambling father who, on a daily basis, would not arrive home, and her two sisters, Lori and Maureen and brother, Brian. Though their constant moving and chasing from the debt collectors, one person who has affected Walls life would have to be her father, Rex Walls. Although his constant gambling and consistent job loss, he has become a significant figure in Walls life. He has shown her the problems of alcoholism, the struggles, and corruptions of the world, and especially allowed
Jeannette Walls depicted an epoch of misfortune and adversity in her memoir, The Glass Castle. Jeannette and her 3 other siblings were all in a constant struggle to survive. Rex and Mary, the parents of Jeannette and her 3 siblings, were often in a constant dichotomy between submitting to self-interest and supporting the family. Having misfit parents, Jeannette and her 3 siblings were often independent and left to fend for themselves and for the family as a whole. In The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls evolved the theme of ideal versus reality throughout her memoir though her countless anecdotes of her father and his unattainable plans to find gold and to build a home, named The Glass Castle, for his family and her mother’s dream to become a professional and well redound artist.