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Analysis Of The Glass Castle By Jeannette Walls

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Realizations with Books
“The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it.” James Bryce The Glass Castle, written by Jeannette Walls in 2005, touched me in ways I never thought possible. The book changed my views on how others live; it made me realize how different my life is from Jeannette’s, and it left me frustrated and angry at how her parents treat her.
The first difference I noticed in our lives is how our parents raised us. “‘Pick out your favorite star,’ He told me I could have it for keeps. He said it was my Christmas present.”(40) Jeannette’s parents do not have money for Christmas presents, so they came up with the idea to give them stars; since they do not cost any money. The other day my mom thought I looked …show more content…

“We were always doing the skedaddle, usually in the middle of the night.”(19) Jeannette’s family is constantly moving around; from the desert to Phoenix, to the little house on Hobart Street in Welch. Her family is on the move to avoid the government, and people who would get them in trouble for how they live, and for avoiding responsibility. From their constant moving, Jeannette does not get much of a chance for education, and lasting friendships. The small ones she makes, she soon has to leave behind. My life has been very different from Jeannette’s. I have lived in the same house all my life. I have had the same friend since first grade. We went to the same private school together, and we even go to the same school now. She even lives right across the street from me. I have never known what it is like to be on the move, and I have never had to leave behind friends like Jeannette has. Besides making me realize how different our lives are this book made me frustrated at her …show more content…

“Mom lay wrapped up in blankets on the sofa bed, sobbing about how much she hated her life.”(207) Jeannette’s mom got a job, just to shut Jeannette up about it, and every day the kids have to beg and plead her to get out of bed and go to work. Parents are supposed to work hard and take care of their children, not vice versa. Moms should be loving and kind, and willing to help their kids out, no matter what; but this mom hardly cares if her kids starve. As long as she’s happy, that’s all that matters to her. I have never had a job in my life. My mom give me money for whatever I need; even if I do not need it, she’ll give it to me. My mom is always nice and generous to me. She is a nurse practitioner; she always pays for my gas, and she paid for my car. It’s hard for me to understand why Jeannette’s mom acts that way, and why she does not take care of Jeannette like my mom does. The mom is not the only one who treats her kids

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The Glass Castle is a 2005 memoir. It was written by Jeannette Walls, an American writer and journalist widely known as a former gossip columnist for MSNBC.The Glass Castle is about the story of Jeannette Walls and her family, who is often short on cash and food. It sets place on many different places since the family skedaddles around the country constantly. Some of those places include West Virginia, NYC and Arizona.

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In the novel, Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, the reader is able to notice many characteristics about Jeannette and her father such as Jeannette being optimistic and her father being a little off. One quote that shows these character traits is, “‘We’re not poor,’ I said. She had used that word one too many times. ‘Of course, you’re not,’ the lady quickly replied. ‘I didn’t mean it that way.

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The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a memoir about the author’s childhood which includes all of the adventures, struggles, and misfortunes that she went through. Her family was constantly on the move going from city to city, in hopes of finding a safe place for them to stay and progressing towards her father’s goal of finding gold. Throughout their journeys, they encounter numerous difficulties such as poverty, lack of food and supplies, trouble with the law, and being able to survive as a whole family. This story is highly motivating and should be read for summer reading because of the lessons this book teaches. More specifically, this book teaches the importance of staying together as a family and how to survive through struggles.

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Everyone has different beliefs when it comes to raising children and what parenting methods lead to the best outcomes. The Glass Castle (1989), a memoir written by a well-known novelist and best-selling author of historical fiction, explores the topic of parenting. The author, Jeannette Walls, writes about her unconventional upbringing in the American West and West Virginia during the 1960’s and 1970’s. The memoir details the Walls family’s frequent moving to avoid bill collectors and their time in casinos, bars, and brothels. Along with the innappropriate places they visit throughout the memoir, the parents continuously showcase their questionable sense of responsibility.

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In the story a glass castle Jeannette Walls walks us through her life and what she had to go through to get where she is today. Through the book Jeannette describes events in great detail, but how factual are these events? In The Glass Castle Jeannette describes an event where she was burnt and was admitted into the hospital. During her visit in the hospital Jeannette describes conversations she had with nurses and doctors, yet she was three years old. The encyclopedia on early childhood development states that “Adults rarely recall personal events from before the age of 31⁄2 years” (Gordon).

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