“The Glass Castle” by Jeanette Walls is a memoir that takes readers through the author’s childhood. The author crafts the overall message by sharing her trials and tribulations with the audience throughout the book. Although she dealt with neglectful parents, poverty, and constant moving, Walls still found the determination to push through the obstacles and live the life that she deserved. That is something most people wouldn’t have the motivation to do if they lived in the same conditions as the Wall family. The purpose of “The Glass Castle” is to give the message that a person can use the power of strength and hope to overcome the darkness of their hardship and find their way into the light; darkness is just a path to light. The first part of the book, “A Woman …show more content…
Because her dad, Rex Walls, was an intellectual genius when it came to math and engineering, he had planned to build a house made entirely of glass for the family. The glass castle often served as a symbol of hope and optimism throughout the book. The glass castle gave the family a promising outlook on the great things to come later in life and that their hardships would soon come to an end. However, the glass castle went from being a symbol of a promised land to a symbol of just another one of Rex Walls’ broken promises. The family never had enough money; they were always on the run, and Rex Walls would always disappear for days and then come home drunk. On page 25, the author uses imagery to help the audience imagine the glass castle. She uses phrases like “wondrous things” and “a great big house” to create a sense of awe. This instance supports the author's purpose because it shows how the family used hope to get through their hardships. Although Walls later came to the conclusion that the glass castle would probably never happen, her dad’s big dream encouraged her to dream big as