the glass castle book essay

“The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls Overview Essay

Introduction, the main characters, the themes of the book, personal opinion, works cited.

A family plays a substantial role in shaping a personality. This fact is a problem for children whose parents fail to pay proper attention to their upbringing due to various addictions. Jeannette Walls was such an unlucky child, and she described her growing up in a dysfunctional family in her memoir The Glass Castle . This essay will give a summary of the book, discuss the main characters and problems, and provide a personal opinion of the story.

Jeanette Walls is one of the four children of Rex and Rose Mary Walls. Her father was a drunkard, and her mother was a teacher who saw her calling in painting. At the age of six, Jeannette and her family moved to Battle Mountain, Nevada. They lived there in a railway station adjusted for residence. For a while, stability came to their life since Rex Walls started working for a mining company. However, he soon lost his job and spent all the money earned by Rose Mary. They also happened to attract the attention of the police due to an incident in their house. To avoid taking their children away from them, the Walls decided to move to the home of Grandma Smith, who was Rose Mary’s mother. The old woman died right before their arrival, but left them a substantial sum of money. However, the money soon was spent, and the family moved to Welch, West Virginia, where Rex’s parents lived.

Then, the Walls left the dwelling of Jeannette’s parental grandmother to settle down in a dilapidated house. Rex said that one day he would build a glass castle in that place, but his children did not believe him. Jeannette asked her mother to get a divorce, but Rose Mary refused. Therefore, Jeannette and her elder sister, Lori, began to save money to flee to New York. Their efforts were successful, and soon, all the four siblings moved to the Big Apple. Their parents also came to New York to live off their children, but as they disapproved of it, Rex and Rose Mary became homeless. Later, Jeannette was driving to a party and saw her mother scavenging the garbage cans. The woman offered her help to Rose Mary, but she refused. The story ends with a family dinner at Jeannette’s house where the Walls remembered Rex, who had died a few years ago.

The first character of the book is Jeannette Walls, the narrator. She had a complicated childhood because of her parents’ irresponsibility, but it helped her to become a strong and determined woman. Being a child, she tried to exonerate her father’s behavior because she believed in him: “I told him that I would never lose faith in him. And I promised myself I never would” (Walls 79). However, as she grew up, she realized that her trust was in vain because Rex was never going to accomplish his plans. As for her mother, Jeannette seems to lack an understanding of her life principles. When she sees Rose Mary in New York scavenging garbage cans, she thinks that her mother needs help. However, when Jeannette hears that Rose Mary is satisfied with her living conditions, she is perplexed. Generally, Jeannette inspires respect because she did not follow her parents’ steps, but became better than they were and reached success in her life.

Another character is Rex Walls, Jeannette’s father, who spent all the money in the family on alcohol. He could have been a conscientious worker since he was smart and had engineering and mathematical expertise. However, he chose the path of an alcoholic and did not bother to stay on any job for long. Some episodes, like the one when he proposed his children to choose their favorite stars as Christmas gifts since he could not give them real presents, prove that Rex had a kind heart and could have made a caring father. However, he was a weak personality who could not conquer his lust for drinks and reluctance to work, and this made his children, including Jeannette, lose faith in him.

The last character worth discussing is Rose Mary, Jeannette’s mother. Although she was qualified as a teacher, she was confident that she was born to be an artist. For this reason, she worked only when Rex had no job to prevent her children from starving. Rose Mary had exceptional values since she did not want to live in comfort, find a high-paid job, or have a happy family with a sober husband. Even when her daughter offered her to help with accommodation because she considered her mother’s lifestyle inappropriate, she refused by saying that “being homeless is an adventure” (Walls 255). Thus, Rose Mary does not evoke sympathy because she has chosen her way of living for herself and appears to be satisfied with it.

The book raises the theme of feeling abnormal and ashamed. According to Bath, young people growing up in nonstandard conditions, like Jeannette Walls, often feel shame because they do not consider themselves normal (132). It is true for Jeannette since she realized that her family was far from being ordinary, and for a long time, she was ashamed to tell anyone about her parents. Eventually, she understood that every person had a past, so there was no need for her to hide her background. It was the reason why she ventured to write her memoir.

Another theme of the novel is individualism and independence from others. Yang and Congzhou argue that it is typical of Americans to rely on themselves and keep apart from their parents after coming of age (53). However, in the Walls family, individualism seems slightly exaggerated and may be interpreted as the parents’ indifference to their offspring. Although Rex and Rose Mary wanted their children to be self-sufficient, they treated them as if they did not care about them. Surprisingly, they achieved this goal since Jeannette with her siblings indeed became independent, but, on the other side, they lost any desire to keep in touch with their parents.

Since the book describes the life of a dysfunctional family, it makes readers think of other people who live in similar conditions. However, this story allows viewing the situation from another angle. Usually, the homeless and the poor evoke sympathy because they are assumed to have had bad luck that has led them to their current state. The book shows that there may be no external circumstances, which ruin people’s life. The author reveals to readers that being a pauper with no home can be someone’s voluntary choice (Cardell and Douglas 23). The main point is that there is no way to help them because it is impossible to assist people who see nothing wrong with their behavior.

To sum up, the book is worth reading because it makes readers face reality, which is full of unpleasant things such as alcohol abuse, poverty, and vagrancy. On the other hand, it shows that a person can overcome all of this, like Jeannette Walls and her siblings did. It reveals that people themselves are responsible for their current situation, and sometimes, only their beliefs prevent them from improving their lives.

Bath, Howard. “Pain and the Unspoken Emotion: Shame.” International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies , vol. 10, no. 2-3, 2019, pp. 126-141.

Cardell, Kylie, and Kate Douglas, editors. Telling Tales: Autobiographies of Childhood and Youth . Routledge, 2017.

Walls, Jeannette. The Glass Castle: A Memoir . Simon and Schuster, 2017.

Yang, Liu, and Yang Congzhou. “Analysis of Sino-American Family Education Differences: Collectivistic or Individualistic? – Taking The Glass Castle as an Example.” International Education Studies , vol. 11, no. 8, 2018, pp. 51-57.

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Books — The Glass Castle

Essays on The Glass Castle

Prompt examples for "the glass castle" essays, jeannette walls' resilience and determination.

Analyze Jeannette Walls' resilience and determination in overcoming the challenges of her unconventional upbringing, and how these traits contribute to her success.

Parental Neglect and Unconventional Parenting

Discuss the themes of parental neglect and unconventional parenting as portrayed in the memoir, focusing on the behavior of Rex and Rose Mary Walls.

The Impact of Poverty and Instability

Examine the effects of poverty, instability, and constant relocation on Jeannette and her siblings, and how these experiences shape their lives.

Sibling Bonds and Support

Explore the importance of sibling bonds and support among Jeannette and her siblings, and how they rely on each other in challenging circumstances.

The Role of Education and Aspiration

Analyze the role of education and the aspiration for a better life in Jeannette's journey, and how they lead her to escape her tumultuous family life.

Symbolism of the Glass Castle

Discuss the symbolism of the "glass castle" as a recurring motif in the memoir, and its significance in the lives of the Walls family members.

Social Services and Government Intervention

Examine the portrayal of social services and government intervention in the memoir, and how they impact the Walls family's lifestyle and choices.

Author's Perspective on Family

Analyze the author's perspective on family, love, and forgiveness as conveyed through her narrative, and how it evolves over the course of the memoir.

Writing as a Form of Catharsis

Discuss the therapeutic and cathartic aspects of writing for Jeannette Walls and how she uses her memoir to come to terms with her past.

Comparison to Other Memoirs

Compare "The Glass Castle" to other memoirs that explore themes of poverty, resilience, and family dynamics, examining commonalities and differences in their narratives.

The Effect of a Parenting Style on The Development of a Child as Illustrated in "The Glass Castle"

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The Ideas of Home in "The Glass Castle", a Memoir by Jeannette Walls

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A Theme of Making Peace with Past in "The Glass Castle" and "Born a Crime"

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Rose Mary Walls Character Analysis

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Jeannette Walls

Bildungsroman

Jeannette Walls, Dad, Mom, Lori Walls, Brian Walls, Maureen Walls, Grandma Smith, Erma Walls, Dinitia Hewitt, Uncle Stanley, Billy Deel, Grandpa Walls, Eric, John

Fire, animals, hypocrisy, The Glass Castle, stars, Joshua trees

Abuse, compassion vs. boundaries, strength from hardship

“You should never hate anyone, even your worst enemies. Everyone has something good about them. You have to find the redeeming quality and love the person for that.” “One time I saw a tiny Joshua tree sapling growing not too far from the old tree. I wanted to dig it up and replant it near our house. I told Mom that I would protect it from the wind and water it every day so that it could grow nice and tall and straight. Mom frowned at me. "You'd be destroying what makes it special," she said. "It's the Joshua tree's struggle that gives it its beauty.” “I lived in a world that at any moment could erupt into fire. It was the sort of knowledge that kept you on your toes.” as reading.” “You didn't need a college degree to become one of the people who knew what was really going on. If you paid attention, you could pick things up on your own.”

This book has been used in the elementary school curriculum in North America, causing some controversy as The Glass Castle was ranked 9th on the Intellectual Freedom Office's list of 10 most problematic books in 2012. The Glass Castle was adapted as a feature film released in the summer of 2017. He also has been translated into 31 languages. The Glass Castle was ranked the 17th most banned book in the US in 2010 and 2019, according to the American Library Association.

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The Glass Castle

By jeannette walls, the glass castle study guide.

Jeannette Walls ’ 2005 memoir The Glass Castle details the joys and struggles of her childhood. It offers a look into her life and that of her highly charismatic yet frequently dysfunctional family. Walls’ first memoir and second non-fiction work, The Glass Castle was received well by critics and the public.

The Glass Castle remained on the New York Times Bestseller’s List for 100 weeks and received The Christopher Award, the American Library Association’s Alex Award and the Books for Better Living Award . In only two years the book had sold over 1.5 million copies and had been translated into six other languages. Paramount Pictures purchased the rights to produce a film based on the memoir but the project has yet to conclude.

In an article for “Publisher’s Weekly” Walls wrote of her surprise that many thought her memoir was largely fictionalized and exaggerated. She contested the claims of some reviewers and readers, claiming that her work was based entirely on her memory. Truth, Walls says is “the most important goal of a memoir writer”. But she also writes that truth varies based on the person telling it, memories she has growing up are recounted different by her other family members, “my brother, my sisters and my mother have all said that while they felt my book was substantially true, any memoir they would have written would have been entirely different”.

The Glass Castle Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Glass Castle is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

What is ironic about the fact that Dad “owed the mine company eleven cents” and that “He thought it was funny and told them to put it on his ta

• Describe the parenting style of Jeannette’s mom and dad.

Describe Erma, Grandpa, and Stanley. How does Jeannette feel about meeting her fathers family?

After a month of driving, the family finally makes it to Welch, West Virginia. After meeting Erma, her father’s mother who refuses to be called ‘Grandma,' Grandpa Walls, and Uncle Stanley, Jeannette is shocked to find no resemblance between them...

What is the family's life like in Battle Creek?

The answer to your question is readily available in GradeSaver's detailed summary and analysis for Part II of the novel.

Study Guide for The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle study guide contains a biography of Jeannette Walls, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Glass Castle
• The Glass Castle Summary
• Character List

Essays for The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.

• Adventures First, Explanations Take Such a Dreadful Time
• The Glass Prison
• The Effect of Parenting Style on Childhood Development: A Reading of The Glass Castle
• Throwing Stones-Resilience and Forgiveness in The Glass Castle
• Alcoholism in the Walls Family

Lesson Plan for The Glass Castle

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to The Glass Castle
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• The Glass Castle Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for The Glass Castle

• Introduction