The Glass Castle
Published on Nov 21, 2015
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The Glass Castle
By Jeannette Walls
I read the book The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.
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Jeannette Walls
Jeannette Walls, an American author, published the Glass Castle in 2005. Before becoming a full-time author, Walls was known for her work with the Phoenix newspaper, the New York magazine, and MSNBC.
Summary
The Glass Castle is the story of her nomadic childhood, her dysfunctional family, and her rise out of the poverty she was born into. It describes her life with her brilliant but alcoholic father, Rex, and her mother, Rose Mary, who had no interest in supporting her family. It describes her relationships with her older sister Lori and younger siblings Brian and Maureen. The family starts out with a nomadic lifestyle in the southwest United States, not going to school and never living in one place for very long. Eventually they land in Welch, West Virginia, where Jeannette's creepy grandmother lives. Jeannette faces bullying and other struggles at school because of her previous unconventional education and extreme poverty. Jeannette and her siblings work together to leave their parents and get themselves to New York City. Throughout her struggles with her neglectful parents and dysfunctional family, Jeannette still shows her unconditional love and loyalty for her family.
“They asked what I was doing cooking hot dogs by myself at the age of three. It was easy, I said. You just put the hot dogs in the water and boil them. It wasn't like there was some complicated recipe that you had to be old enough to follow. … 'Mom says I'm mature for my age,' I told them, 'and she lets me cook for myself at lot'” (10-11).
In the beginning of the book, Jeannette's dress caught on fire from the stove when she was cooking hot dogs when she was three years old. The nurses questioned her, worriedly inquiring about her family life:
“They asked what I was doing cooking hot dogs by myself at the age of three. It was easy, I said. You just put the hot dogs in the water and boil them. It wasn't like there was some complicated recipe that you had to be old enough to follow. … 'Mom says I'm mature for my age,' I told them, 'and she lets me cook for myself at lot'” (10-11).
“They asked what I was doing cooking hot dogs by myself at the age of three. It was easy, I said. You just put the hot dogs in the water and boil them. It wasn't like there was some complicated recipe that you had to be old enough to follow. … 'Mom says I'm mature for my age,' I told them, 'and she lets me cook for myself at lot'” (10-11).
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Jeannette's early childhood
- The environment was neglectful and dangerous.
- Jeannette was forced to be independent.
Jeannette faces poverty and neglect at home and with her family. Her parents are very hands-off and leave their kids to fend for themselves. Because Jeannette's parents don't do anything to take care of their kids, Jeannette must cook her own meals, even though she is only three. Jeannette's environment turns dangerous when she uses the stove alone, and that causes her to suffer severe burns and require extensive medical work to be done. Her environment full of neglect causes her to act, often in dangerous ways, to become independent and take care of herself. From an early age, Jeannette learns to have control over her own life and do things for herself.
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“Brian and Lori and Maureen and I got into more fights than most kids. ... But we always fought back, usually as a team” (164-165).
In the middle of the book, when the Walls family is living in Welch, the kids fight with many bullies. They face a challenging, hostile environment in their town, and they have to act to defend themselves and to fit in.
“Brian and Lori and Maureen and I got into more fights than most kids. {{Dinitia Hewitt and her friends were only the first in a whole line of little gangs who did battle with one or more of us. Other kids wanted to fight us because we had red hair, because Dad was a drunk, because we wore rags and didn't take as many baths as we should have, because we lived in a falling-down house that was partly painted yellow and had a pit filled with garbage, because they'd go by our dark house at night and see that we couldn't even afford electricity.}} But we always fought back, usually as a team” (164-165).
“Brian and Lori and Maureen and I got into more fights than most kids. {{Dinitia Hewitt and her friends were only the first in a whole line of little gangs who did battle with one or more of us. Other kids wanted to fight us because we had red hair, because Dad was a drunk, because we wore rags and didn't take as many baths as we should have, because we lived in a falling-down house that was partly painted yellow and had a pit filled with garbage, because they'd go by our dark house at night and see that we couldn't even afford electricity.}} But we always fought back, usually as a team” (164-165).
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Jeannette's school years
- The environment was challenging and hostile.
- Siblings work together and are loyal to each other.
The people in Welch fight a lot, and Jeannette thinks that it has to do with the poverty in the town, which leads to a lack of things to do and to people being in bad moods. The environment in Welch is hard to deal with, and the kids have to fight the other kids to stand up for themselves and fit in to the culture of the town. But Walls emphasizes how they work together to fight and win. Jeannette and her siblings function more effectively as a smaller unit in their dysfunctional family as they protect themselves in ways that their parents won't. They remain loyal to each other when it would be easy in such a malicious environment and with such poor parental examples to give up and focus only on their own individual needs.
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Dad looked puzzled, as if the answer should have been obvious. 'So we could be family again.' He raised his pint. 'To the family,' he said” (253).
By the end of the book, each of the kids has moved to New York City out of Welch, one by one leaving their parents behind. They find new jobs or schools for themselves and live independently. One day, out of the blue, their parents show up in New York City.
“'So, what's the plan?' Brian finally asked. 'You're moving here?'
'We have moved,' Mom said.
'For good?' I asked.
'That's right,' Dad said.
'Why?' I asked. The question came out sharply.
Dad looked puzzled, as if the answer should have been obvious. 'So we could be family again.' He raised his pint. 'To the family,' he said” (253).
“'So, what's the plan?' Brian finally asked. 'You're moving here?'
'We have moved,' Mom said.
'For good?' I asked.
'That's right,' Dad said.
'Why?' I asked. The question came out sharply.
Dad looked puzzled, as if the answer should have been obvious. 'So we could be family again.' He raised his pint. 'To the family,' he said” (253).
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Jeannette's early adulthood
- She had a separated environment from the rest of her family.
- Her parents show loyalty by returning to the family.
At this point, the family has been split up and is living in a city that adds to the separation between them. But Jeannette's parents still act to try to reunite their family. They understand that they can't live together as the dysfunctional family that they once were, but they make an effort to be together and keep in contact with each other.
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Despite challenges, the family loves each other unconditionally and remains loyal.
In the Glass Castle, Jeannette and her family live a challenging life. They face poverty and danger as a family, and the kids face alcoholism, neglect, and unstable parents, but in spite of all their challenges, they love each other unconditionally and are loyal to each other. This book shows that many hardships and challenges don't have to pull families apart. Instead, they can foster independence, loyalty, and commitment to each other.
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I think that this is a wonderfully written book full of vivid anecdotes that capture Jeannette's life growing up in extreme poverty and neglect. It opened my eyes to a life vastly different from my own. This is a good book for anyone who enjoys reading autobiographies.
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