The “Glass Castle” is a memoir that was written by Jeanette Walls, which shows all the difficulties that she underwent as a result of her unconventional upbringing during childhood with her drunkard father and a mother who appeared to be ignorant and not good at taking care of her kids. Both the title of the book and the author’s name are important; Walls begins to write the book as the main character and she is motivated to write about her family. The title, for example, represented the lost dreams of Jeanette, Lori and Brian that they had when they were young. In another view, the title captures the extent to which Jeanette father fantasized life rather than practically living and presenting it. The castle was the dram home that the children carried whenever they moved on. Although the physical foundations of the castle were not established, the Glass Castle was symbolic of the remains of Jeanette and in her childhood that helped her to believe that her father would one day do as he promised. When she realized that it was not always true that the Glass Castle was never to be built, she was already in adulthood. Perhaps it is the challenges that she faces when she was young that makes her to become a very successful writer. The way her parents treated her, contributes to the character that she developed when she was young and this can be understood as one way Walls was able to overcome the difficult in her childhood. Sometimes, it was the total ignorance by the parents in their role of nurturing their children that made Jeanette, Brian and Lori to overcome their childhood problems. After Jeanette started her business of writing, she met her mother one day collecting trash and, in shame; she looked down and pretended that she did not see her. Later, Jeanette did not know what she would tell other what kind of parents she had and after asking her mother, she simply told her, “Just tell the truth, That’s simple enough” (Walls 4). How the children adjusted their characters to cope with their childhood problems made them overcome their child hood challenges and become successful in life.

The Character Traits that Made Jeanette, Lori and Brian Overcome their Childhood Problems

Jeanette family was always on the run; living like nomad and who often moved between desert towns, always looking for the next adventure. The father was an alcoholic and intelligent man but who always believed that the government was filled with conspiracy and that is why he refused to get a job. Instead, he chose to spend every penny that he had on alcohol. Jeanette’s mother had a teaching degree but she chose to be an ant artist. However, she was totally ignorant and preferred most of the time to sit around, only reading. In fact, when Jeanette asked her to get a job, she said that it was not fair for her to spend her whole life taking care of other people; instead, she selfishly said that she wanted to take care of herself. As a result, this left the children (Lori, Brian and Jeanette) with nothing in the house to eat at most times.

The lack of responsibility from both parents made the kids feel that their parents did not care for them. As a result, this was what made the kids start becoming independent, trying to cope with the family problems and eventually succeed in life. For example, Jeanette was very resentful to her parents such as her dad’s drinking behavior which she felt made him let the family down. It was these resentments that made gather enough money and build the life that she dreamed about; the life of becoming a successful reporter. Brian, on the other hand, was the only family member who a sense of justice and right and wrong in his entire life; even joining the police force and becoming a detective. During his childhood, he remained true to himself, his values and his goal in each experience. Brain’s character of being just and right made him to be the protector for Jeanette even against those who were larger than him including, his parents. As a result of his protection for Jeanette, the two were very close as friends and the act of sharing the problems together made them to deal with stressful situations that they were facing at home (Walls 180).

The way Jeanette, Brian and Lori understood their parents in each tale can tell the alternating experience of how they both loved and despaired their parents. For instance, Jeanette, refused to condemn them for their total negligence as parents, but at the same time, she could reveal condemning traits in her behaviors. Caught up in the complex relationship and also as a result of her father’s death, Jeanette appeared to have developed some sense of independence that made her pursue her career as a writer (Walls 170). Lori was also a representative of triumph in her family. Being the first born, she was also courageous. She was the first one move away the destructive environment in Welsh; making a way for the rest of the siblings to follow. Moreover, she was a talented artist which made her to become successful when she moved out. Before she left for New York, she and Jeanette worked together to save some money so that she could move to New York after she graduated from high school.

Poverty and perseverance is another version that can be used to explain how Jeanette, Brian and Lori overcome their childhood difficulty. The autobiography of this book discusses the moral debate as to whether Jeanette parents wee indifferent, bad or good. Also, the autobiography reflects the traditional American Dream in public which used to explain how people achieve wealth and fame after year of determination and hard work. The autobiography parallels Jeanette, Lori and Brian childhood experiences; the three sibling were able to overcome their difficult and poverty by determination. It was only through working hard that the three siblings became successful later in life and, it is as a result of this that represented the American Dream.

The element of instability verses stability also explains why the three siblings were able to overcome their challenges. Stability was the imaginative lives that the children lived-Blue Mountain, Phoenix (Walls 12). Instability was the real life that they lived which involved moving out constantly, loss of jobs and no food. Nevertheless, this form of instability also bred resilience in the children.

The risks the siblings faced in their lives made them develop incredible discipline and a sense of self-satisfaction despite all the problems they were going through such as Jeanette’s temptation to join prostitution-Green Lantern (Walls 34). Despite all the problems they would face, the mother told them never to rely on society, doctors, or anything that could help them through life (Walls 6). There is a belief that a person should take care of himself so as to overcome obstacle in life. Brian became very protective of Jeanette even saving her from local bullies. Brian may have saved Jeanette from some of the cruelties of life, but character of being able to differentiate the right from wrong helped him and the other siblings to stay away from wrongdoings; helping them to become responsible adults.

Conclusion

There are so many examples that Jeanette has illustrated in their upbringing that show what made them to develop a positive attitude towards life. More importantly, it is clear that the same negligence that was brought by the parents upon their children was also the source of their resilience and determination that made them to become successful in life.

Works Cited

Walls, Jeannette. The Glass Castle. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 2005. Print.