Child Abuse In The Glass Castle By Jeannette Walls

Although loved ones mean well, they do not always know what is best. Many people believe in the idea that parents always know what is best for their children because they've had similar life experiences when they were younger and have gathered wisdom. Adults set an example for their kids, but that example does not always teach good behavior. In The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, she grows up in a poor household where she experiences several forms of abuse, often at the hands of her parents. While not everyone goes through the extreme events that Jeannette deals with, several people struggle with issues in their family. Although loved ones mean well, they do not always know what is best.

Jeannette's family is constantly on the move. The

She loves and cares for them and knows in her heart they feel the same way too. She is very obedient as well. At the beginning, when Jeanette is in the hospital because of her burns, her father decides it's best for her to leave. He says "You just trust your old man,"(14) and she does. She doesn't question his choices because she trusts that her parents know what is right and will protect her. As a teenager, Jeannette becomes more aware of her parent's actions being abnormal. When she is trying to stick to a strict budget while her mother is away and her father asks for money to buy cigars and alcohol, she states "He knew I had a soft spot for him the way no one else in the family did, and he was taking advantage of it"(209). This reveals that she's upset with her father and recognizes that he is manipulative. Ultimately, this shows Jeannette's development and now seeing that her parents do not have the same regard for her

After her father hits her, Jeannette decides she must get away. She recalls thinking "...I was going to get out of Welch. The sooner, the better" (221). This, of course, shows her bitterness towards the actions of her parents and the fact that she's been forced to grow up in a town that she can't be happy in. She ends up saving money with her siblings and quickly growing that fund as she is persistent on leaving Welch with her sister. It is the abuse she experiences from them that causes her to push away and feel resentment. This all shows that she now understands that what has been happening to her isn't right or normal and that her parents do not know what is