The American Dream In The Glass Castle By Jeannette Walls

The Oxford English Dictionary defines the American dream as ¨ the ideal that every citizen of the United States should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.¨ The best example of the American dream is The Glass Castle written by Jeannette Walls. This is a book written about her traumatic experiences throughout her life and how she has made it through. She has had many struggles she has had to endure throughout her life: poverty, no security, bullies, rape, bad parenting, starvation, etc. Her two main struggles are her parents and poverty which is something that a lot has gone through. In Jeannettes life story, she shows everyone that the American dream is something that

Jeannette Walls parents couldn't be more opposite. As a child I do think her father tried his hardest to make her life decent. He tried to bring her and her siblings happiness. But her father was a drinker. There is only so much someone can do to take care of a family when they can't even truly take care of themselves. Her mother didn't have a maternal bone in her body. Her mother thought of herself before anyone else and in some situations she only thought of herself. For example Jeannette and her siblings would often go days without food. Her mother never saw a problem in that. There were times where her mother would hide food just so she could eat while her children were starving or she would rather paint instead of make dinner. Her mother says ¨Why spend an afternoon making a meal that will be gone in an hour, when in the same amount of time, I can do a painting that will last forever.¨ page 56. There can be so many things said about the Walls parents and how they have provided so much trauma to their children's lives, but the American Dream helped them out of that situation. Even though they don't have the best background, constantly moving, poverty, dirty clothing, starvation, and being homeschooled for most of their school lives. Even through all of that they were still provided with opportunities to become something better, make a better life for

She struggled through poverty until she reached adulthood. Her father could never keep a job and her mother just didn't feel the need for one. She was constantly moving, never staying too long in one place. In one specific house she lived in they had no heat, electrical wires all in the kitchen, the roof was caved in. They were constantly living in danger because of her parents and their lack of work ethic. Her dads excuse for the constant moving was that he wanted to find gold so he could build them a ¨glass castle.¨ Jeannette says ¨He had a plan. He was going to find gold.¨ page 22. That is what she fully believed as a child. Even though living in terrible conditions sometimes not in a house at all she still managed to push through and reach her American dream. ¨Every U.S citizen would have equal opportunity to achieve success.¨ Jeannette Walls proved this to be true. She moved away from her parents determined to make a better life. At the age of 17 she left for New York. She was provided with opportunities and she worked hard and made something out of herself. She finally made it out of never living in a secure home to living in some of the most expensive homes in New York. With this she showed the American dream can be achieved by anyone including someone in poverty. No matter how bad the situation or how you grow up, Jeannette Walls proved that you can become anything and achieve your own