personal response

I absolutely loved this book. It was by far my favorite book that I have read this year and probably so because I was so shocked by the behavior of this very unique family. There was rarely a dull moment because the members of the Walls family were always up to something crazy by typical standards. What I found most astonishing was the calmness in which Rex and Rose Mary went about doing things and handling tough situations. My family is the complete opposite of the Walls family, which is also why I found this book to be so captivating. I really enjoyed the fact that I could somehow find a connection with the characters of the story by having opposite opinions and never being able to imagine raising a child in that way. I was able to empathize for the children. At the same time, however, I thought that the parents were slightly justified in bringing up their children the way they did, to be strong and independent. The unconventional ways of the Walls family were very interesting to read about and made me think about the different situations children encounter depending on their parents. It also made me deeply appreciate how lucky I am to have such great parents and stability in my life.

My favorite and least favorite part about the author’s style was the lack of commentary and “fluff” in her writing. Because she did not put a lot of her own personal input into the memoir, it made it very easy to form my own opinions about the different characters and situations. If she were to give her own opinions I would be much more likely to tend towards that direction simply because she is narrating. On the other hand, I would have loved to see more commentary because I was curious as to how exactly she felt about some of the horrific things that her parents put her through. I like to experience emotion when reading a story and if the author were to include detailed descriptions of her feelings towards different events, I feel like the memoir would have impacted me in a completely different way. Regardless, I feel that this story was extremely well written and a very entertaining read.

symbol

The Glass Castle itself serves as a significant symbol in the memoir and though it is not mentioned very often, it reveals a great deal about Rex’s character. The Glass Castle is an architectural dream of Rex’s that he spends his life designing and trying to build. Realizing that he first needs to fund the project, Rex uproots his family a countless number of times in search of gold in order to become rich enough to build the castle. This continuous movement causes further chaos in the lives of the Walls children and only brings Rex further away from accomplishing his goal.

The Glass Castle symbolizes a shattered dream in that it is an example of happiness and perfection, but can never be built because the lives of the Walls are far too chaotic and unconventional to allow for the completion of such a major undertaking. It seems as though throughout the whole novel Rex is making promises that he can not keep, getting jobs that he can not hold, and establishing relationships with his children that he can not sustain. The Glass Castle serves as the ultimate symbol of this idea of a stable and happy family that can never be achieved or carried out. It also represents the disappointment, suffering, and neglect that the Walls children experience for a majority of their life. Ironically, the Glass Castle was supposed to be the most amazing home the Walls would ever see, but instead of building and living in the castle, the family traveled constantly and never even established a permanent home of any kind. The Glass Castle was nothing but another broken promise made by Rex regardless of his detailed, well thought out, and supposedly genius plans.

theme

A very popular theme existing in this memoir is that of freedom, nonconformity, and self-sufficiency as a means of reaching one’s fullest potential. This idea, greatly emphasized by Jeannette’s parents, Rex and Rose Mary, can be seen as both positive and negative in regards to the way Rex and Rose Mary raised their children. All throughout Jeannette’s life (as well as for her brother and sisters), she was forced to fend for herself despite all circumstances, learn from some very traumatic mistakes, and stand strong against the “accepted” ways of life. Rose Mary felt that “rules and discipline held people back and felt that the best way to let children fulfill their potential was by providing freedom” (73). There were very few rules that the Walls children were told to obey, which left ample room for the children to become involved in dangerous situations, which they often did. Many feel that this was very irresponsible of the parents and could even be considered child abuse. In other instances, however, some find their beliefs to be logical, natural, and liberating. Jeannette stated, “Mom and Dad liked to make a big point about never surrendering to fear or to prejudice or to the narrow-minded conformist sticks-in-the-mud,” which does make a great deal of sense, but can also be taken too far (103). By including these examples, the author was able to simultaneously illustrate the flaws and strengths of Rex and Rose Mary’s parenting. These ideals allow an individual to develop as a strong and independent human being, but too much leniency and nonconformity will also cause a person to develop psychological hindrances and feel scarred and neglected. This is exactly what Jeannette went through growing up with parents that acted in this way. Jeannette was trying to convey her story by allowing readers to understand the way she was brought up and the extraordinary qualities of her parents whom she accepts and loves dearly. She is not looking for empathy, but a real human connection and an honest understanding of her life.

character

The character that undergoes the most critical growth and development in The Glass Castle is, of course, the main character, Jeannette Walls. Beginning as far back as she can remember, horrifying experiences and unusual situations were typical, daily basis experiences for Jeannette. Severely burned while cooking hotdogs at the age of three, tossed out of a speeding car during one of countless moves to new and unknown locations, shot by an eleven year old with a BB gun after being “raped” by him, and forced into a strange man’s apartment with the permission of her dad in order to win money; Jeannette was forced to grow up fast and develop the toughest skin one could possibly need. Surprisingly, Jeannette kept a positive and optimistic attitude despite the highly negative circumstances. As a child, Jeannette respected and admired her father for she saw him as the only one who always believed in her. In return, “[she] told him that [she] would never lose faith in him. And [she] promised [herself] [she] never would” (79). As she grew older, however, and the inexcusable behavior continued, it became increasingly difficult to view her father in the same light she had as a child. She was growing up and beginning to understand the ways of the world, but her parents were still the same as they had always been, wild and without boundaries, stealing money from their own daughter, and pushing Jeannette into countless dangerous situations. The tone of the narration turns from optimistic and adventurous to that of disappointment and unrest. After finishing her junior year of high school, Jeannette made the quick decision to venture off on her own and move to New York City. Within the year, her father died and Jeannette was starting to become more at peace with who she was. She realized that her husband “was a good man, but not the one for [her]” and her “compulsion to be always on the move began to fade” (281). Towards the end of the memoir, one can say that Jeannette was able to find acceptance. She accepted everything she had gone through as a child, she accepted how her parents had treated her, she accepted how her life was turning out, and she accepted the person that she had become. It is certain, however, that Jeannette is a strong woman who can handle anything that life throws at her.

rhetorical strategies

Something that I feel makes this memoir so powerful is its lack of rhetorical strategies. In conveying her life’s story, it seemed as though Jeannette Walls was careful to include only the descriptions of the events that occurred, leaving out commentary regarding the way she felt about them. By doing so, the author makes it possible for the readers to experience their own reactions, formulate their own opinions, and learn important lessons that pertain to them individually. It leaves room for readers to find a connection between the occurrences and relationships found in the story and their own personal lives. What stands out the most in this story is the unconventional childrearing practices of Jeanette’s parents, which typically cause different readers to form varying, strong-minded opinions about their techniques. By leaving out strategies that may distract or sway a reader in one particular direction, the author allows for a complete understanding and possibly even acceptance of their idiosyncratic ways and eccentric personalities.

• Sarcasm “Those bikes aren’t for us, are they?” I asked. “Well, they’re too damned small for your mother and me,” he said (98).
• Aphorism “Dad kept telling me that he loved me, that he never would have let me drown, but you cant cling to the side your whole life…’If you don’t want to sink, you better figure out how to swim”’ (66).
• Detail “I picked up the suitcase. Evan did not insist I give it back to him. In fact, he seemed sort of relieved that I was carrying it” (246).

While the author does not include many rhetorical strategies in the telling of her story, some can be found in dialogue and lessons taught by her parents. Jeannette’s parents, who believe in a “tough love” system of raising children, use sarcasm on many occasions. However, they also use many aphorisms to teach important life lessons that build the character of their children. Finally, Jeannette’s inclusion of detail reveals a great deal about her personality as a result of the way she was brought up. The fact that she takes the time to discuss carrying her own suitcase shows readers that she is independent, strong, and capable of doing things for herself.