Theme Of Forgiveness By Jeannette Walls

Learning How to Forgive

Forgiving someone do not remove the guilt of a person or a group who makes mistakes. Forgiveness is an unexceptional theme that society has since early times in the history of humanity, and it is a easy target for individuals of a social group to judge. The theme brings up religious effects, which influence many actions and what believers do. When it comes to family, the society’s finger of blame is pointed at parents who fail their responsibilities in raising their children. Consequently, it is possible for the grown-up children to believe in the public opinion, which interpreters their life stories without acknowledging all the perspectives. Although it is easier to blame parents who have distinct methods of education,

She proves her loyalty regardless of Rex’s mistakes and irresponsibilities. Even with the failures of her father, his lack of presence in times of need, and his incorrect behavior in the family environment, Jeannette loves and forgives him because Rex Walls makes her feel special and forgiving Rex represents the author’s inner peace.

Through the memoir, Jeannette Walls portrays the need for affection and attention. Although she has a strong relation with her siblings, especially with Brian who shares common interests on exploration and adventures, the author indirectly begs for the attention of her father. Jeannette misses Rex, but still gets upset when he disappears. Therefore, Rex compensates his actions by promoting genuine moments that make the author feel unique and loved. As an example of that, Rex gives stars to his children for Christmas gifts, demonstrating all his knowledge about constellations and space. This makes Jeannette to reconfirm how her dear father is intelligent and

Jeannette spends the entire book forgiving and trying to ignore the mistakes of her father. However, what she does not realize is the significance of forgiveness and its consequences on her. Whenever Rex asks if he has ever let their children down, Jeannette is afraid of answering the truth as the quote shows: “I was about to tell him the truth for the first time, about to let him know that he'd let us all down plenty, but then I stopped” (Walls 132). Jeannette does not want to accept that her father is not her hero or her best example like other fathers are to their little girls. Consequently, it becomes automatic for her to forgive Rex, even when she does not know specifically where he is or what he is doing wrong. Jeannette’s disappointment increases every time she has to forgive her father because every act of forgiveness causes her expectations to be broken, she turns away from Rex, and she drowns in her own confusion. Jeannette does not know if she should forgive Rex or not. However, there is a moment when she finally accepts who Rex is and releases her intense emotions. Although she does not exactly explicit she forgives her father, Jeannette leaves clues to the reader that portray her relief: “[Rex] knew there was only one way [Jeannette] could ever answer that question. [Jeannette] just smiled. And then [Jeannette] closed the door” (Walls 177). In the quote, Jeannette’s smile represents her discovery of her inner