I would recommend The Glass Castle to other students. It is a heartwarming story and it teaches you to never give up on your dreams. The story is told very descriptively and you can picture the things that she went through growing up. Some parts of the story I just wanted to cry because of how hard of life Jeannette lived this made me more thankful for the life I live.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
The Glass Castle Summary
The Glass Castle is a memoir told by Jeannette Walls and its her life story of growing up in a chaotic family. Her family was always on the move to escape bill collectors. They couldn’t afford the price of living because her parents often didn’t have jobs to support the family. Her father was an alcoholic, but he always dreamt of becoming rich and creating a glass castle. Jeannette's mother wasn’t a good mother either she wasn’t there for her children like she should have been. Since neither of them had a job it was often very difficult to keep food on the table and some nights the children would go to bed hungry. Eventually, Jeannette moved out and moved to New York to live with her sister. Soon after both her brother and sister moved to New York where they no longer kept contact with their parents however, the novel ends with the whole family eating Thanksgiving dinner.
A new life in New York
My favorite chapter in The Glass Castle was when Jeannette moves to New York. For the first time in her life she is no longer weighed down by her parent’s struggles. She is finally allowed to be her own person with no one weighing her down besides herself. She can finally live the life she has always wanted to and live a good life. This chapter made me feel proud of her because despite of her rough childhood growing up she still lived up to all of her dreams. She provided that nothing is impossible and if you’re willing to work hard enough you can achieve your dreams.
Page 25- tone
Jeannette Wall's tone changes constantly throughout The Glass Castle because she encounters so many different situations. On page 25 was the first time her father ever mentions the glass castle. Her tone is almost satifying because now she believes that one day they will no longer have to move and they will be able to live in the glass castle. As he is talking about the features it will offer she can picture herself living there one day and she becomes very excited to be living there one day. Her tone is hopeful throughout the story because she now believes that one day she will be about to have a real house to call her home.
Growing up in the Walls household
1. Jeannette gets burned making dinner. At a very young age of only three years old Jeannette is making herself dinner. After she is burned it is apparent that there is lack in parental supervision. This demonstrates how much freedom Jeannette has going up.
2. The Walls family pack their bags in the middle of the night. This is the first time the family has moved since the beginning of the novel. They move during the middle of the night to avoid bill collector. Rex Walls acts as if it is an adventure so the children won’t be scared.
3. Rex Walls tells the kids of his dream of the glass castle. This may seems like it’s not an important event in the novel, but it is because it sets up the disappointment displayed throughout.
4. The family moves to Phoenix. Once they settled in, life seems to be returning back to normal. There is food on the table, money in their pocket, and the children attend school. But when things came to a halt and the money ran out, chaos breaks lose. The children are no longer cared for properly by their parents they are forced to steal from other kids lunches just to feed themselves.
5. The family moves to Welch. The family moves back to Rex’s hometown where now we get an insight of what his life was really like. Here we find out his past and what may have shaped him into the man he is today.
6. The child welfare employee knocks at the door. Jeannette opens the door to be very shocked that there is a welfare employee standing on the other side. He questions her about her home life, but she lies to make it seem like they are a normal family. After, she answers the questions the man is convinced her life is alright and leaves.
7. Jeannette’s sister, Lori, moves to New York. Once Lori has moved to New York Jeannette becomes very dedicated to what she does. She now becomes serious with her studies and graduates from college.
8. Jeannette moves to New York. After graduating from college Jeannette finally get out of her house. She now was fulfilling her dreams of moving to New York.
9. Jeannette’s father dies. Once her father dies the family drifts apart. They no longer have any communications among anyone in their family. It now becomes clear to us that Rex kept the family together for so long.
10. They have thanksgiving together. This was the first time they have seen each other since their father has passed away. Throughout dinner they talked about the good times they shared growing up and they never spoke about all the chaos they encountered.
2. The Walls family pack their bags in the middle of the night. This is the first time the family has moved since the beginning of the novel. They move during the middle of the night to avoid bill collector. Rex Walls acts as if it is an adventure so the children won’t be scared.
3. Rex Walls tells the kids of his dream of the glass castle. This may seems like it’s not an important event in the novel, but it is because it sets up the disappointment displayed throughout.
4. The family moves to Phoenix. Once they settled in, life seems to be returning back to normal. There is food on the table, money in their pocket, and the children attend school. But when things came to a halt and the money ran out, chaos breaks lose. The children are no longer cared for properly by their parents they are forced to steal from other kids lunches just to feed themselves.
5. The family moves to Welch. The family moves back to Rex’s hometown where now we get an insight of what his life was really like. Here we find out his past and what may have shaped him into the man he is today.
6. The child welfare employee knocks at the door. Jeannette opens the door to be very shocked that there is a welfare employee standing on the other side. He questions her about her home life, but she lies to make it seem like they are a normal family. After, she answers the questions the man is convinced her life is alright and leaves.
7. Jeannette’s sister, Lori, moves to New York. Once Lori has moved to New York Jeannette becomes very dedicated to what she does. She now becomes serious with her studies and graduates from college.
8. Jeannette moves to New York. After graduating from college Jeannette finally get out of her house. She now was fulfilling her dreams of moving to New York.
9. Jeannette’s father dies. Once her father dies the family drifts apart. They no longer have any communications among anyone in their family. It now becomes clear to us that Rex kept the family together for so long.
10. They have thanksgiving together. This was the first time they have seen each other since their father has passed away. Throughout dinner they talked about the good times they shared growing up and they never spoke about all the chaos they encountered.
They are always on the move.
Phoenix, Arizona, the birth place of Jeannette Walls. Her was where she spent the first few years of her life. The Walls lived in a trailer her. It was here where Jeannette burnt herself making hot dogs and it was here that Rex Walls dreamt of making the glass castle. Than one day her father told them to pack up because they were moving to escape the bill collectors. Life as they knew it was about to change.
After moving they end up settling in a town called Battle Mountain. Here they rent a house, but the children tend to sleep in boxes. The house tends to be very choatic and filled with animals. However, despite the choas their life seems fairly normal. Until one day her father loses his job again and Jeannette is forced to steal lunch from other students. Eventually, they are back on the road looking for a new place to settle.
After moving they end up settling in a town called Battle Mountain. Here they rent a house, but the children tend to sleep in boxes. The house tends to be very choatic and filled with animals. However, despite the choas their life seems fairly normal. Until one day her father loses his job again and Jeannette is forced to steal lunch from other students. Eventually, they are back on the road looking for a new place to settle.
Who's important
The most important people in The Glass Castle are Jeannette, Rose Mary, and Rex Walls. Jeannette Walls was the daughter of Rose Mary and Rex. The novel is written through her perspective making her the most important person throughout the novel. She the type of person who is willing to work hard for what she has and nothing can stop her from achieving her goals. She is also a very charismatic person she is willing to help the ones she loves. She is a wealthy author and has tried many times to help her mother and father out, although they have declined her money every time.
Rose Mary Walls is Jeannette's mother her career consists of being a teacher and an artist. She is important in shaping Jeannette’s life because she tended to neglect in her children. This was because she would much rather be spending time painting than being there for her family. Due to her actions it was very apparent that she was not fit to be a good mother. She was very caring for only herself.
Rex Walls is Jeannette's father is an alcoholic and is usually jobless. He will get a job here and there, but it is usually just to by alcohol. He may have become an alcoholic due to his rough childhood. He faced many hardships growing up similar to the ones he is facing today with his family. To avoid all the bill collectors he makes the family move constantly this causes the family to live a chaotic life. Although he isn’t the best father Jeanette is always trying to please her father. She doesn’t want to disappoint him. She will try her best to please her father. He has shaped Jeannette into the woman she has become today.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)