Essay On The Glass Castle By Jeannette Walls

The Consequences of the Walls Children's Insufficient Upbringing

In Jeannette Walls' memoir, "The Glass Castle," the author reflects on her childhood and the impact of her parents' unorthodox parenting style. Throughout the book, Walls recounts instances where her parents, Rose Mary and Rex Walls, neglected, starved, and failed to provide a stable home for their children. As a result of their irresponsible behavior, the children in "The Glass Castle" suffered from a lack of basic necessities, emotional trauma, and long-lasting scars. Although Jeannette’s parents’ parenting style can be clearly identified as horrific as it left Jeanette and her siblings afflicted and broken, their unconventional methods can be argued that it actually had a few

They learned a strong sense of independence and self-reliance. They learned to take care of themselves and each other while having parents who were toxic, selfish and neglectful. Because of the family’s financial situation, Jeanette started to babysit to make a little money on the side that she could use to survive, which showed she took care of herself by being independent. She used this money to feed her family and help them survive in their challenging circumstances. She also later wants braces, but learns that she actually needs them, Jeanette made her own braces. “Mom and Dad had no money for braces, of course—none of us kids had ever even been to the dentist—... I decided to make my own braces.” (PDF Walls 127). Her decision to make her own braces exhibited how she was independent and how that if she wanted something, she had to be independent and figure it out herself, whether it was work and save money or take a more do-it-yourself approach. They also learned to be more resourceful by living with only what they have, even if it isn’t sufficient. When the Walls family didn’t have food to eat and Jeanette didn’t have money to buy food, she would look through the garbage at her school, in Welsh, West Virginia, for food, “When other girls came in and threw away their lunch bags in the garbage pails, I'd go retrieve them.” (PDF Walls 108). Her actions show her resourcefulness, although unhygienic, and how she provides for herself and her family. Her resourcefulness and survival skills also exhibits her selflessness and how much she cares about her family and siblings, which helped her in her life later in New York. Rex also taught the children to think outside the box and be curious about the world around them. This curiosity and mindset was instilled into the children and stayed with