Summary Of The Glass Castle By Jeannette Walls

The memoir, The Glass Castle, is about a family that undergoes many hardships and yet remains unique and dysfunctional through it all. It is told through the eyes of young Jeannette Walls who recalls her childhood, and growing up in the special scenario that she did. Certain aspects are capitalized throughout the memoir such as the theme, the cultural experiences, and the understanding of historical accounts. As Jeannette Walls once said, “Life is a drama full of tragedy and comedy. You should learn to enjoy the comic episodes a little more.” Many themes are present throughout the memoir, some of which include nonconformity, the definition of a home, and family. One theme that was reinforced throughout the entirety of the memoir was self sufficiency. Jeanette and her three siblings come from a broken home which includes a drunk of a father who could never fully accept his role as a provider and a mother who was more interested in pursuing her failed art career than taking care of her children. This led the Walls family

The memoir begins in 1950s when gambling was on the rise and Las Vegas was gaining popularity rapidly. We see this portrayed in Rex Walls, as he spends most of his time at the bars, and gambling his way through life. One historical reference that has major significance is the idea of the American Dream. The memoir gets its name from a dream Rex Walls has about building a glass castle for him and his family to live in. He swears that he will one day build an extravagant house from glass that is self sufficient and runs by solar power. Although he never ends up fulfilling this dream, it outline the idea of the American Dream which is the concept that every person should have the opportunity to achieve success and prosperity. Rex dreams of having the success of building this glass castle that will provide for his family and show that he has conquered the American