The Glass Castle By Jeannette Walls: An Analysis

“You have to remember that the hard days are what make you stronger. The bad days make you realize what a good day is. If you never had any bad days, you would never have that sense of accomplishment!” (Aly Raisman). The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is about a girl who narrates her intriguing life. Jeannette moved around very much due to her poverty and parent’s nomadic life style. Jeannette and her three siblings learned to fend for themselves because their mother and father did not take care of them. Her mother, Rose, did not believe in conforming to society's rules, so Jeannette lived a lonely childhood with few friends. Despite the pain that Jeannette endured from her mother, father, and individuals she met along the way, she managed

Which Jeannette later found out was because her mom refused to sell their land. By making this choice she hurt her kids by making them live with poverty and starvation. Secondly, Jeannette’s mom didn’t believe in many things, including glasses. Jeannette explains, “She didn’t approve of glasses. If you had weak eyes, Mom believed they needed exercise to get strong. The way she saw it, glasses were like crutches. They prevented people with feeble eyes from learning to see the world on their own.” (96). Rose made Lori go without glasses for most of her childhood, until finally she gave in. When Lori first put on the glasses she was amazed by how much she could see. Rose’s beliefs hurt Lori by not letting her see detail for so many years. Also, when Brian and Jeannette were adventuring, they found a diamond ring, they handed it over to their mother in hopes of her selling it for money, but instead Rose was selfish and kept it. Rose points out, “‘...but it could also improve my self-esteem. And at times like these, self-esteem is even more vital than food’” (186). By keeping the ring for herself Rose gave up the opportunity to get food for her kids. This HURT her kids because they would have to go another day without any meals. Their mother’s beliefs and selfishness hurt them by making them not fit in, live in poverty, and starve many times. Although, all of the hardships Jeannette faced helped her not have to depend on others later in life.
Rex hurt Jeannette numerous times, but she would never stick up for herself to him. He was an alcoholic and would usually spend the family’s money on drinks. Jeannette’s mother had gone out of town and left them just enough money for food, her dad knew she had the money and coaxed her into giving it to him. Rex