The Glass Castle Thesis

You Can Always Find the Good in a Bad Situation

In Jeannette Walls’ memoir, The Glass Castle, Jeanette’s unconventional childhood is characterized by constant poverty and the chaos and confusion of having dysfunctional parents along with their nomadic lifestyle, moving from neighborhood to neighborhood. What is exceptional about Jeanette’s story is that although her parents were irresponsible, neglectful and careless, they were still able to manage to instill admirable qualities in their children and raise sane adults. Jeanette’s parents, Rex and Rose Mary, taught her and her siblings, Brian and Lori to be independent, strong, and to love gaining knowledge and learning.

All obstructions overcome, especially those encountered as a child,
The joy of learning is what unified the Walls family and is the source of the children’s most favorable memories .They would read together and bond over learning. Jeanette reflects on her happier moments “after dinner, the whole family was stretched out on the benches and the floor of the depot and read with the dictionary in the middle of the room so we could look up words we didn’t know" (Walls 56-57). Sharing knowledge was how Rex and Rose Mary best expressed their genuine love and affection towards their children. When Rex was sober, which wasn't very often, he taught his children geometry, physics, astronomy. Rose, a teacher herself taught her children to value literature. In third grade, Jeanette and her siblings were recognized for their love of literature and were all placed in a gifted reading class. Rex and Rose Mary loved their children and expressed their love by sharing with them the joy of learning. Because their expression of love was somewhat evident, they succeeded in instilling in their children the drive and ambition to be successful and live accomplished