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The Glass Castle Literary Analysis

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The Glass Castle is a descriptive memoir written from the perspective of Jeannette Walls. As she eventually finds success as a writer, Jeanette recounts her dreadful childhood she faces raised by eccentric and egotistical parents. Rex and Mary, her parents, are very non-functional because of their drinking habits. Mom and Dad are very energetic people who push their kids, learing how to nurture themselves by feeding, clothing, and protecting one another. Jeannette Walls applies the lesson of self-discipline from her childhood in order to be self-sufficient in New York City. While not being the parent she wishes to have, Jeanette’s Dad teachers her to be self reliant when he tells her that she would be fine when learning how to swim. Jeanette …show more content…
Jeanette is in the pool at the Hot Pot when Rex tells her that she needs to learn how to swim if she does not want to drown. “If you don't want to sink, you better figure out how to swim” (66). Rex refuses to help Jeannete when she is in the pool. In a literal sense, he tells her that she needs to be more self reliant by learning how to swim. This presents a skill that she needs in order to survive. If she does not teach herself through self discipline, she will drown and never know how to be self reliant in the real world. Because Jeanette’s parents are not the typical parents people grow up to know, she is forced to be dependent upon herself by maturing exceedingly fast. Self sufficiency plays a significant role in Jeanette’s life, and throughout this standard she essentially loses her childhood that her parents never gave her. This theme Jeanette portrays throughout the whole story is particularly valuable when teaching herself to be the most mature and successful person that she can be in New York …show more content…
Rex wants to build the Glass Castle but Jeanette does not have faith in him and will move to New York to develop a better life. “Now that Lori’s gone, I’m reconfiguring the layout, and your room will be a lot bigger [...] I stared at the plans. Dad, I said, you'll never build the Glass Castle. Are you saying you don’t have faith in your old man? Even if you do, I’ll be gone. In less than three months, I’m leaving for New York City” (238). Jeanette does not give Rex any respect for the plans he makes when build the “Glass Castle”. Jeanette notices that moving to New York is the only option for her to be successful through her self sufficient living on her own. Later when Rex and Mary moved to New York “Brian believed that Mom and Dad needed to be forced to be self sufficient or they'd be dependent on us forever, so he refused to take them in” (253). Jeannette, Lori, and Brian are more mature than their parents. That is why Jeannette decides to move to New York regardless of her Dad’s ability to build the Glass Castle. Because Rex and Mary are not the kind of parents Jeanette imagines, she must be self sufficient by growing up into adulthood fast. The idea of being self disciplined exhibits an imperative role in her life, and by following this norm she does not have a real childhood. Jeanette understands, in order to be a high achieving

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