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The Glass Castle, By Jeannette Walls

1353 Words6 Pages

The memoir, The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls follows a family whose lives can only be described as a long, rocky road. The Walls family, consisting of parents Rex and RoseMary, and four children, Lori, Jeannette, Brian and Maureen, live an unconventional lifestyle that questions societal norms. The family as a whole experienced many hardships such as poverty, homelessness, along with many other things that shaped who they are today. Both parents are incredibly smart and resourceful, but fail to apply it effectively when it comes to raising their children. What Rex and RoseMary lacked was the motivation and compassion that it takes to be a parent, which is a clear sign that the kids should have been spared the many years of witnessing domestic violence, …show more content…

Instances of domestic violence in the memoir ranged from Rex driving one of the family's cars carelessly, and ignoring RoseMary’s wishes when she asks him to stop several times. More severe actions such as when the parents were having an argument that lasted days. It got so bad that Rex threw one of RoseMary’s paintings and an easel out of the upstairs window. Then suddenly RoseMarys feet were dangling out the window, with Rex holding onto her hands. Once they got RoseMary inside, the two argue about if Rex really did push her out the window or if RoseMary jumped. Nonetheless, the next day, everything was back to normal. Another severe instance was when Rex came into the family's home in Phoenix after a day of drinking, tripping and stumbling around. When the children tried to help him around the house, that was when the foul language started, “RoseMary, where the goddamn hell are you, you stinking bitch? Where is that whore hiding?” (122). Rex then found Rosemary in the bathroom, when she tried to escape, he grabbed her dress and they struggled against each other into the dining room where RoseMary ended up on

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