With the identity of everyone being a mixture of intrepid experiences and lessons we often forget that our origins are the base of who we are. Concepts like this are reasons that when reading the memoirs The Glass Castle and The Distance Between Us two characters showed incredible similarities in their identities. The two characters that resonate together are the fathers of both authors Rex Walls, Jeannette’s father, and Reyna’s father, Papi. Rex and Pai are comparable in their neglect of their children and the effect they had on their children.
Primarily Reyna and Jeannette’s fathers share a relatable relationship with their children. Rex constantly is running into difficulties throughout Jeannette’s memoir. Whether it be finding employment or taking care of his children he consistently falls short. For example, Jeannette had asked her father for her tenth birthday to stop drinking. In a response to his daughters wish he
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Jeannette ultimately loved her father despite his downfalls and consistent failures. Rex changes these opinions with his effort towards Jeannette’s college fund. Rex in an act of completely unselfish behavior puts his all into gathering one thousand dollars for Jeannette. In the period of the book one thousand went a lot farther than today’s standards. Rex proves to us in his final act that he was a good father deep down. Papi shares a different connection with Reyna in the way that it is his “American Dream” to have the children gain the knowledge he couldn’t have from free schooling. During the memoir there are numerous references to Papi’s influence on his children specifically Reyna going to school. The most compelling instance was Papi explaining that “Just because we’re illegal, doesn’t mean we can’t dream.” Reyna found solace in that statement that would help her achieve her citizenship and continue on to