Do you ever feel like you are the only one trying hard enough to make a difference during a hard time? Jeannette Walls can relate. In the short novel The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls presents the symbolism of welfare to display the theme of the novel, working hard but being alone is only as defeating as you make it, ultimately illustrating you can still come out those hard times strong.
To begin, the symbolism of welfare in The Glass Castle is one of many symbols but specifically, with this one we can see the lack of nourishment in the Walls household. In the novel, the author writes, “Although we were the poorest family on Little Hobart Street, Mom and Dad never applied for welfare or food stamps, and they always refused charity” (159). In context, this clearly displays the malnourishment the children of Rex and Rose Mary Walls face. This unhealthy situation makes the kids fend for themselves just to stay alive. The novel continues, “I told her child welfare might come down on us again if she wasn’t working. She folded her chest and stared us down” (219). This is showing Jeanette and her siblings are the ones taking responsibility, they are parenting their Mom. No household should be this way and the
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It is obvious that only the kids want welfare but, why is that? Rose Mary states, “Once you go on welfare, it changes you. Even if you get off welfare, you never escape the stigma that you were a charity case” (188). This statement from her tells the reader her why to not accepting welfare. In this sense welfare is symbolizing negativity and disservice to the family. In addition to this it is also written, “Welfare, she said, would cause irreparable phycological damage to us kids”(188). In this the kids are reciting their moms crazy outlook on welfare. Welfare is representing damage, once again negativity, Rose Mary needs to take a step back and look at what is actually damaging her family – it’s not