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The Glass Castle Themes

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In life there are so many things that can go wrong; in a matter of seconds or even years. However everything in life has its upside. The hardships we face, the battles we fight, they all end up making us stronger, better people. Jeannette Walls writes a memoir about aspects of her life in The Glass Castle, where she strongly reflects this philosophy. In this memoir Jeannette Walls describes the hardships in her life, which consists of low income, neglect of her parents, and underestimation. She goes through these hardships and eventually experiences release and growth in her life. Walls turns her struggles into a blessing. The Joshua tree in The Glass Castle displays the theme, that one’s struggles are what make them beautiful and strong; it’s …show more content…

Clearly Jeannette has gotten to a point in her life where her basic needs can no longer be well provided and she desperately needs them. So far the only person who can support her is herself. Later in the future she says,“ I worked up a budget and calculated that we could indeed squeak by if i made extra money babysitting”(209). Not having enough money to even provide her family with food becomes a blessing in disguise. Jeannette gains the ability to be mindful with her money while providing for her family. Unfortunately it could also be said that Jeannette grew up too fast. On the bright side because she went through that kind of experience she knows how to take on her responsibilities. In closing, unlike most children Jeanette had to financially support her and her family, which in the future made her know how important her roles are and how strong of a person she is

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323 Words | 2 Pages

As Jeannette matures her connection with her parents, particularly her father begins to diminish. Jeannette didn’t grasp that the way her parents raised them or viewed the world wasn’t normal and as she got older she recognized how selfish her parents were. Jeannette was constantly close with her father, and always showed compassion for him, but when they relocated to Welch it appeared as if her father had changed. Jeannette eventually obtained work and began to save up money so she and her siblings could survive, but her father didn’t approve and eventually sabotaged that plan. Eventually, Rex went to Jeannette and requested money from her, he did promise to pay her back.

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1574 Words | 7 Pages

“If you don 't want to sink, you better figure out how to swim” (41). Although Rex Walls was not always an admirable father and role model, he did make an essential point while teaching his daughter, Jeannette, how to swim. In life, not everything comes without resistance. As Jeannette Walls describes throughout her life story, sometimes people are forced to face hardships that make them question their whole life. However, as seen in her book, it is important to learn to take those hardships and use them to shape one’s future for the better.

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937 Words | 4 Pages

In the memoir, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, the Walls family is considered homeless and they are constantly moving from place to place. They constantly find themselves either with a somewhat decent amount of money or at times, no money at all. Jeannette, being one of four children always follows along with and listens to her parents and eventually notices that their family does things very differently than most other families. As Jeannette explains her childhood and how she is being raised by her parents, it is clear to see how different Rex and Rosemary’s parenting style is compared to the parenting style of other parents. Since their parenting style is so different, it seems that it affects their children in a negative way throughout their childhood, but in the end it makes Jeannette become a better and more successful person.

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758 Words | 4 Pages

She struggled with how the society and her family shaped who she was. She was exposed to her family first which made her behave the way she did under her family’s house. Jeanette struggled with her family by taking care of the house, beings told bending the rules is okay and the acceptance of her Mom’s and Dad’s homelessness. When Jeannette left her family and went to live in New York, she becomes an individual. She fends for herself and gets her life together.

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824 Words | 4 Pages

Born into terrible circumstances, added with the negligence of her parents, influences Jeannette's

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746 Words | 3 Pages

“Believe in miracles…. Hope is never lost” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland). Believing that the worst is behind them and that they will come upon a better life is the only way that Jeanette Wall’s family is able to stay afloat. In Jeannette Walls’ memoir The Glass Castle, the symbol of hope is portrayed through a Glass Castle: a real home in which everyone is important and loved.

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732 Words | 3 Pages

In this world, there’s learning things the hard way and the easy way; in Jeannette Wall’s world, there’s only learning things the hard way. The Glass Castle is an adventurous story that reveals the painfully miserable story of Jeannette Walls. A selfish mother, a careless father, and terrible social encounters- these are some of the elements of a harsh reality Rex and Rose Mary Walls failed to shield their children from. Growing up poor was already difficult, but growing up with a selfish parent, specifically an unfeeling mom, made life hell for the Walls children. The family barely had one source of income from Rex Walls, and instead of helping out with the family’s finance issues, Rose Mary spent her days at home painting.

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675 Words | 3 Pages

In The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, it tells about how the Walls family move to different desert towns, settling in for as long as their father, Rex, can hold a job. However, his perspective of the state and society, and his alcoholism led them to move frequently. The children - Lori, Jeannette, Brian, and little Maureen- experiences unusual childhood, where they travel like nomads to find new money source. This lead to the theme, sometimes you can be mature and responsible at a very young age. The theme is developed by how Jeannette learns how to take care of herself and her younger siblings, and the way her parent taught her.

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1230 Words | 5 Pages

Society defines home as “a house, apartment, or other shelter. It is the usual residence of a person, family, or household” (“Home”). In The Glass Castle, Jeannette’s definition of home suggests that it is a place for friends, comfort, love, happiness, and financial security. However, home is a complicated topic that can be interpreted in many ways. The Glass Castle clearly describes the pessimistic attributes of home, such as a lack of support and poor parenting.

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1211 Words | 5 Pages

As a child, Jeannette Walls moves around constantly with her family. The Walls family would move to different desert towns and settle as long as Mr. Walls can hold a job. When sober, Mr. Walls represents a charismatic father who loves his children and teaches them important life skills. He encourages imagination inside of the Walls kids and often captures their dream and creativity. Together, the family had planned to build a glass castle that contains all of the family’s hope and inspiration.

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1273 Words | 6 Pages

Success: An Escape from Privation Inevitably, the conflicts people face at multiple points in their life is a determining factor in shaping individuals into the person they will eventually become. Namely, these conflicts direct people 's behavior over the course of time; contributing to a person’s ability to achieve success. In particular, Jeannette Walls’ The Glass Castle is an honest depiction of her life and the conflicts that arise throughout her state of impoverishment, as well as the success that stems from her hardships.

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799 Words | 4 Pages

The Glass Castle is the life story of a girl, Jeannette Walls, and her siblings who grew up in poverty unnecessarily because of their parents’ irresponsibility. One of its themes is that strength and perseverance can significantly improve your chance at success and your future. The Walls children did not allow their childhood struggles prevent them from creating better and brighter futures for themselves. They all grew up impressively sane considering their living conditions.

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1118 Words | 5 Pages

Jeannette Walls also uses the symbol of the Glass Castle, which develops throughout the memoir to show how she slowly loses trust in her father as she realises that she can not depend upon him or anyone else for happiness. The symbolism evolves throughout the memoir as Walls evolves as a person. In the beginning of the memoir, her description of the Glass Castle is naive and hopeful. Her naivety is most apparent when Walls writes, “All of Dad’s engineering skills and mathematical genius were coming together in one special project: a great big house he was going to build for us in the desert… All we had to do was find gold, Dad said, and we were on the verge of that.

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611 Words | 3 Pages

Jeannette is ashamed at times throughout The Glass Castle because of her parents lifestyle choice. At the end of the book Jeannette overcomes hiding her life from people. She then becomes a professional writer and publishes a book about her

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849 Words | 4 Pages

It is evident that her childhood may have impacted her in a more severe psychological way. The book The Glass Castle is a very interesting narrative. The author Jeanette Walls is able to bring new light to circumstances that many people choose to ignore or overlook by writing about her own childhood. This gives the book a new perspective and allows the reader to gain insight.

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