Preview

"The Glass Castle"- Generational Curses

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
456 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
"The Glass Castle"- Generational Curses
Throughout The Glass Castle, one can see the generational curses of sins of the father. Jeannette’s parents were part of a cycle of alcoholism, anger and depression. Throughout the book one can see all the parts of the generational curses thorough Rex Walls, Rose Mary, Jeannette and her siblings.
Rex Walls is the father of the writer of The Glass Castle. Throughout the book, one can see that he gets extremely drunk and he never holds down a job to provide for his family. Rex is usually gone drinking at different bars for days at a time. One of the stories in The Glass Castle explained that her father went out and bought a bottle of tequila to feed his addiction after he earned money from fixing someone’s transmission. Rex knew that his family desperately needed money to buy food but he chose to buy alcohol instead. While in Welch, one can see that he takes after his own mother. Erma his mother is also uncontrollable drinker just like Rex. The generational curses of alcoholism can be passed throughout generations, just like with Rex Walls.
Jeannette’s mother, Rose Mary, is uncaring for her children. When Jeannette was little, she was left cooking hot dogs alone at three years old which led to Jeannette getting severe burns while her mother was in another room painting. Her mother could not keep a job. If she did have a job, the money from the job was spent on alcohol or on her “chocolate addition”. Throughout her life she was only looking out for herself, but her grandmother was the one person that took care of her family and kept up with finances showing that the sins of the father are not always generational. One can start the iniquity, like Rose Mary who seems to have started the downhill slide of non caring mothers.
Jeannette Walls and her siblings went through a rough childhood with moving frequently, struggling with finances and other various issues with their parents. However, Jeanette and her siblings wanted to overcome their childhood problems and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The family up for investigation is the Walls family. Their current living situations has multiple problems, such as support beams starting to buckle, a leaky roof, the stairs being almost completely rotted, and other issues. These living conditions are completely unsafe for kids. The Walls currently have 4 kids in their possession, Lori, Jeanette, Brian, and Maureen, who are 16, 13, 12, and 7 respectively. It was decided to conduct an interview on all of the kids in the household to figure out what type of experiences they have had under Rex and Rose Mary Wall’s care.…

    • 1028 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    After an incredibly burdensome childhood, and an even more strenuous teenage life, Mason made the life altering decision to relocate from living with her mother, step-father, brother, and half-sister in San Bernardino, California, to living with her grandmother in…

    • 253 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The book, Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls, is an unbelievable memoir about a dysfunctional family. The author, Jeannette Walls, is also the main character in the book. Jeannette and each of her unique and interesting family members differ from any other character in a book you can imagine. Jeannette’s father teaches and inspires her each and everyday with new and interesting things. But when Jeannette’s father was not helping them embrace life, he was drinking alcohol, leaving his children with no one to take care of them. “In my mind, Dad was perfect, although he did have what Mom called a bit of a drinking situation.” (page 23). This quote describes how much Jeannette cares for her father, but sometimes his drinking problem got in the way. Jeannette’s mother was a very nice, sweet, and caring woman, but the whole idea of responsibility and being a parent wasn’t her cup of tea. Jeannette and her brother and sister are left to take care of themselves. Throughout the story Jeannette and her family persevere greatly, and prove to each other how…

    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Two of the negative character traits, avarice and hubris, portrayed by Claudette and Grandmother, in “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” by Karen Russell and “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor, makes them evil. For example, in “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” the girls earn skill points as they progress; Claudette expresses her greed for skill points that when she is at risk of losing them she blames her sister, Mirabella, although she was trying to help. This is obvious when she says, “ I wasn’t talking to you… I didn't want your help.” Similarly, the Grandmother shows a sense of avarice when she tells her grandchildren about a suitor she once had. She says, “... She would have done well to marry Mr. Teagarden…

    • 341 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Living life with the absence of a mother figure is one of the most significant factors that has majorly influenced the outcome of her life. Having a mother to guide, encourage, and mold a child is essential in developing their character, and as Baby does not have one, it has prevented her from learning valuable lessons in life. Due to this, Baby is left in the care of her single father, Jules, who has always been involved with narcotics, and “trie[s] to be a mother, but [has] always kind of fallen short on the mark” (O’Neill, 186). She recognizes the fact that her father is unable to take care of himself, and is not considered a true authority figure due to his immature tendencies and vacuous decisions. Baby is, hence, forced to take on the parental role, and is deprived from her childhood and the nurturing environment that is necessary in order for a child to properly flourish. This forces her to learn how to be self reliant and independent, however, without guidance, Baby turns to what she knows best and succumbs to the life of drugs, alcohol and prostitution —a fate that was inevitable due to her circumstance and the external factors that surround her. As Baby does not comprehend the feeling of unconditional love that children are supposed to feel from their parents, she searches for love in all the wrong places. When she meets Alphonse, a pimp in her…

    • 1407 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    This novel is full of elements that point to Rex Walls’ alcoholism and the consequences it…

    • 1857 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The title of the book and a major theme within it, the Glass Castle represents Rex's hope for a magical, fantastic life in which he can provide for his family and please his children. Rex lays out plans for the Glass Castle, including detailed dimensions for each of the children's rooms, but he never actually builds the castle. For a long time Jeannette believes that he will but she gives up on the hope after the hole they dig for the foundation of the Glass Castle is filled with garbage. Though the physical structure is not erected, the symbol the Glass Castle represents remains with Jeannette in her childhood and helps her to believe that her father will do what he promises. When she discovers that this is not always true and realizes that…

    • 146 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    They both grew up in a dysfunctional environment where it led them to many hardships, yet that didn’t stop them from trying to achieve their goal. Family played an important role in their upbringing: Senghor’s son coming to the realization that his father is a murderer, and Jeannette realizes the toxicity of her unorthodox parents. Even though Walls and Senghor’s families played a part in their upbringing, it was up to them respectively to decide their future. After Senghor was released from prison, he later became a teacher and author, and Jeannette went to New York in order to pursue her career in writing. Although some people believe that a person’s origin dictate what they will become later in life, of course, on the grounds that many people don’t usually leave the place they feel more familiar in. Yet I would argue, based on Walls’s and Senghor’s experiences, they decided to go past the confining walls of their traumatic experiences. In addition, they were able to successfully move pass from their struggle, not looking back on it. Given these points, Walls and Senghor proved Bartlett’s quote correct with the transformation of a poor upbringing to overcoming those obstacles and accomplishing what they once thought were their “wildest”…

    • 1113 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The opening lines of The Glass Castle help to uncover the significant subjects of the memoir. As individuals we need to ask ourselves whether we chose to accept where we are and not do anything to change it or we have the option to accept our lives as it is or try to make our lives better. Jeanette chose to make a goal and live for it. She made her dream eventually become her reality. She needed to comprehend that a few dreams simply weren't intended to work out as expected, regardless how much she tried, and she had to grow up faster than most children might want to. The way she grew up made her more grounded and knew how life truly is. There were numerous obstacles that Jeanette had to face in order to get to where she is currently. She needed to figure out how to forgive her parents and in particular, figure out how to forgive herself.…

    • 990 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The grandmother had the capacity to be a good woman; she attained grace, at gunpoint, and was able to see who she truly was, and her true lack of superiority. Seeing The Misfit vulnerable and confused when he cries out,” if I had been there I would of known and I wouldn’t be like I am now”, the grandmother was able to clearly see that she and The Misfit are two of the same (554); they are both sinners who will suffer the ultimate punishment regardless of their moral standings. The grandmother attains truth that they are both humans who make mistakes and that she is no better than a criminal. Right before she dies, she forgives and then accepts The Misfit as one of her own –they are equals. The Misfit sees the clarity and grace that the grandmother receives through her redemption which strikes him and brings about a change of heart. “Without his glasses,” as a shield, we are able to see,” The Misfit’s eyes were red-rimmed,” as though he was fighting back the sentiments that were arising from the grandmother’s touch (554); The Misfit displays compassion, maybe even regret for his crime. The moment the grandmother reached God’s grace and cried out,” why you’re one of my babies. You are one of my own,” she is showing that she has found the ability to see others with kindness and understanding (554). The final words, ”it’s no real…

    • 1129 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Glass Castle Analysis

    • 833 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Glass Castle is a chilling memoir written by the writer Jeannette Walls. The memoir is about her unfortunate childhood, which involved constantly being on the move due to her father Rex’s drinking problems getting them into debt or losing him a job. The author has a way of describing things that leaves readers emotionally connected, sympathetic, grateful, wanting more and many other reactions. Overall, The Glass Castle was an excellent life affirming and inspiring memoir.…

    • 833 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Jeannette’s childhood, she faced many difficulties and roads that seem to lead to disasters after disaster. She faced those troubles very strongly. Once, Jeannette fell out of the car as she and her family moved away once again. Even though, her family did not come back to get her straight away, she still had faith that they will come to get her. This showed how she adapted to how non-observant her family members are, and she trusted them since she knew they loved her dearly. She also looks at moving around as an adventure so that she would be able to live her life to the fullest and not wither at the thought of what she did not have.Her siblings helped her fight against the other children that overpowered her. They worked…

    • 852 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Everyone in there lives have made bad decisions that they regret, lead them to the wrong path, and wished they’ve made different decisions. However, I kind of would’ve wanted to have a childhood like any of them because they all went through hard times but at the end Jeannette and The author Wes became victorious. Furthermore, I would’ve somewhat liked to have a childhood like Jeannette's because her father would teach her things at times. For example, Jeannette states, “Dad kept telling me that he loved me, that he never would have let me drown, but you can’t cling to the side your whole, that one lesson every parent needs to teach a child is “ ‘If you didn’t want to sink, you better figure out how to swim’” (Walls, 66). If Jeannette's father never taught her that lesson then she wouldn’t have been…

    • 350 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Alcoholism is a serious addiction that greatly affects relationships between loved ones and can damage families (What are the...). The addiction can cause tremendous stress within the family and bring about many problems. When it comes to alcohol abusers, it is not uncommon to see important responsibilities be neglected, increased violent behavior, driving while under the influence and/or even getting in trouble with the law (What are the…). In The Glass Castle, Rex Walls suffers from alcoholism and like most alcoholics, his addiction has a huge impact on his family. His heavy drinking has crippled his family financially as well as made Rex incapable of holding a steady job to provide his family with a steady income. In addition to the lack…

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Alcoholism is a very prevalent problem in The Glass Castle and Jeanette Walls’ life. This quote from the book, “No child is born a delinquent. They only became that way if nobody loved them when they were kids. Unloved children grow up to be serial murderers or alcoholics,” (Walls 83) shows how much her life was influenced by this problem. Maybe she knows what happened in her father's past that turned him to alcohol, and maybe she thinks that when people are treated the way she is by her father, their only option is to use things like this to cope with there problems. There are thousands of children in America alone that have to deal with this problem in their daily lives. Whether it be grandparents, parents, or siblings, they watch and feel…

    • 1426 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays