The Glass Castle Research Paper

Natalia Wdowiak

Ms. Branda

American Literature

12, April, 2024 -.

Effects of Alcoholism in Families

Have you ever wondered how a family’s dysfunction could spark determination and resilience in its children? In the novel The Glass Castle, the author, Jeanette Walls, writes about her experience growing up in a dysfunctional household consumed by parental alcoholism, neglect, and poverty. The family constantly moves due to their father, Rex Wall’s inability to keep a job. Despite this instability, the children try their best to stick together and support each other throughout their lives. In The Glass Castle, the author Jeanette Walls showcases the consequences of parental alcoholism through Rex Walls, leading him to be neglectful to his

Jeanette and Brian scavenge for bottles in a dumpster, resorting to searching for anything they can to make ends meet, “A big green dumpster stood in the parking lot. When no one was looking, Brian and I pushed open the lid, climbed up, and dived inside to search for bottles” (Walls 110). Rex’s failure to provide for his children’s basic needs, such as food and shelter due to his alcohol addiction, forces the children to scavenge for necessities that Rex should provide. This act symbolizes Rex’s failure to prioritize the well-being of his children and highlights the dire circumstances they endure due to neglect fueled by alcoholism. Jeanette describes the lack of clothing and heating in their home in Welch, “I still had only my thin wool coat with the buttons missing. I felt almost as cold in the house; while we had the coal stove, we had no coal” (Walls 175). In spite of having a coal stove, the family does not have enough clothing or heating, which highlights Rex Walls’ disregard for his children by failing to care for their fundamental needs. Rex’s prioritization of alcohol over providing

Since it took only men at the time, I applied to its sister college, Barnard, and was accepted” (Walls 250). Jeanette’s application to college symbolizes how she recognizes the value of education as a way to break free from the cycle of dysfunction and pursue a great career and future. Jeanette’s acceptance of Barnard showcases how she realizes what addiction has done to her family and showcases her resilience to better her future through academic achievement. The Wall’s children start to save money when they graduate high school in order to be able to move to New York City, “I told Lori about my escape fund, the seventy-five dollars I’d saved. From now on, I said, it would be our joint fund. We’d take on extra work after school and put everything we earned into the piggy bank” (Walls 223). The Wall’s children’s determination to save money for their escape fund reflects their resilience in the face of familial dysfunction. The children witnessing the effects of alcohol on their father, the children are determined to break free of this cycle of dysfunction and move on after college. The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls, serves as a