[Angel Martinez] - The Glass Castle by Angel Martinez-144100129

Personal Reflection

144100129 — 2024-01-23 20:33:23 UTC

An experience I share with this family currently is that my mom does not work anymore. She used to work a lot, and it tired her a lot as she had to provide for me when I was a child. She worked hard from when I was born, till 5 years ago when she finally retired. Thankfully, my family lives comfortably with my dad working to bring a good amount of money to sustain us. Another thing is that the family in this book are very close to each other. My family is similar to them in that way. I have not moved though unlike the family in the book that always moves.

Social Issue

144100129 — 2024-01-23 20:33:23 UTC

A social issue that was present in this reading chunk was social class. It affects all of the main characters in this book because they are not very rich. The mother does paintings for a living, and the father is a man who hops around jobs. They live a low class life, and this means they don't always have the luxuries a lot of people have. They don't believe in Santa as the parents cannot afford gifts like that, and a lot of times they had nothing to eat. There have been times where the kids should probably have gone to the hospital to get something checked out or something, but the family simply doesn't have enough money to pay hospital bills. But luckily, the kids are happy most of the time living with what they can have and get. It probably affects the parents though. We also learn that the dad is a gambler. This could be a side source of income. Whether his kids eat something nice depends on him winning big. Overall the social class of this family is something very important.

Quote

144100129 — 2024-01-23 20:33:23 UTC

Some quotes that stood out was on page 28, it says "Mom said Dad was never the same after Mary Charlene died. He started having dark moods, staying out late and coming home drunk, and losing jobs." This quote explains the reason that the Dad drinks a lot, and it can explain the way he is and the things he does. It shows the toll that his daughters death had on him.

Formalist Lens

144100129 — 2024-01-23 20:33:23 UTC

1.) A significant thing that happened in the book is that we learn why the dad drinks and does what he does. In the beginning of the book, the dad is introduced as this crazy guy who gambles and drinks, yet he still cares deeply for his kids. As the book goes on, we learn more and more the problems that he has and his mannerisms. But it is also learned that his child died. This made him result to drinking and being in angry moods.

2.)A recurring pattern I see in this book is that the kids are very inspired by their dad. They repeat the same phrases he says, and not only that but they adopted his way of thinking. Like when the Jeanette got a bad wound, and she was shrugging it off and says a phrase that her dad would say.

3.) A gap I would like the author to fill up is why the mom is the way she is. We learn why the dad drinks and his past, but we don't know why the mom thinks so freely and why she doesn't really care (in terms of health) for her children. I wonder if there was a key part of her life that changed her into the way she is in the book.

Reader Response Lens

2024-02-07 16:18:07 UTC

3.) I think readers in different time ages or time periods interpret the text differently. For example, a big issue in this book is the family economic class. A person born in a time period like COVID, where many people were unemployed, gas prices were rising. A reader born into this time period will read this differently, and maybe relate to the book and feel what the people are feeling. But a person born in a time where the economy is good will read this book differently.

4.) The does not hold the same perspective of the world I live in. I understand that many people do not have the same luxuries everyone else has, and that they cannot do the same things that me or you can do. But I don't like staying in the same place. First, the mother can start working, it does not have to be hard just any help will help the family a lot. And I know Rex Walls struggles with addiction, but he spends a lot of money drinking and he loses tons of jobs that bring good money to them. The kids cannot do anything right now, but the parents could do a better job.

6.) I think the intended audience could be people who did not live like them. People who had stable income and did not go through the same things the family in the Glass Castle did. Because it really opens your eyes and shows you the world we live in, that some people have to worry about what shoes to buy, while other people have to worry about when the next time they're going to be able to eat. Not because of hunger, but because they don't have money to eat.

Social Issue

144100129 — 2024-02-09 17:50:50 UTC

A social issue that was present during this chunk to me was health. I chose this because time and time again, the family does not really care about the health or well being of their kids. The kids are constantly used to not having any food at all in their fridge. They are still kids, and their nutrition is crucial for their growth at their age. But health does not only come down to their physical health, but their mental health as well. In this chunk, the mom and dad have a big fight that the kids had to break up. The parents constantly have fights, and no kid should go through watching their parents fight as it can take a toll on their mental health. Sometimes it seems like the kids are more mature than the parents are.

Personal Reflection

144100129 — 2024-02-09 17:51:05 UTC

A character I share experience with is Jeanette. In page 83, Billy takes Jeanette to his house as he says he's going to show her something funny. When they get to the supposed funny thing, it was just Billy's dad blackout drunk, with a piss stain in his pants. Billy laughs at his dad, but Jeanette doesn't find it funny. She says that you're not supposed to laugh at your own dad. She still has respect for her dad, and in this book overall, she has shown that she has respect towards all her family members. I feel that I am that same way with all my family too. I still laugh at them jokingly WITH them, but I won't ever laugh at them with someone who isn't family.

Quote

2024-02-12 07:12:33 UTC

A quote that stuck out to me was in page 78. It goes as follows, "'Have I ever let you down?' he asked Brian and me and then turned and walked away. In a voice so low that Dad didn't hear him, Brian said, 'Yes'". In this section of the book, Jeanette and Brian didn't bring their lunch bags to school as there was no food at their house. The dad goes to bring them food, but the kids slowly begin to be disappointed in their dad as they continue to grow. Brian especially, as he's the one who starts acting like this first. They see that the dad spends more money on booze than on food for his kids. They used to think very highly of their father, but now they're not so sure.

Social Class Lens

144100129 — 2024-02-12 08:36:04 UTC

Economic conditions completely determine these characters. Most of the things that happen to the family in the Glass Castle are because of their money problems. The family does not know how to manage their money, and in turn they experience many hardships in their life. The mom is so incredibly irresponsible, and spends money on her art career even though it's going nowhere and she blames it on her kids. The dad has a raging alcohol addiction and spends so much money on his beer. Even in the beginning of the book, he gambles a lot of money. The family spends money on things they don't need, rather than buying money and things they need.

Quote

144100129 — 2024-02-16 21:09:50 UTC

A quote that stuck out to me was on page 110. "It was around this time that Dad lost his job. Hes said there was nothing to worry about, because Phoenix was so big and growing so fast that he could find another job at a site where they hadn't spread lies about him. Then he got fired from his second job and from his third, and was kicked out of the electricians' union and started doing odd jobs and day work. Whatever money Mom had inherited from Grandma Smith had disappeared, and once again we started scraping by". The quote stuck out to me because it shows the struggles the kids go through because of their parents. The dad continues lying to his kids, saying that there's nothing to worry about because he will find a job. But he is very irresponsible and keeps getting fired from jobs. He always blames something else or finds an obscure reason for why he gets fired, but even the kids who once believed he was right, can see through his lies. They cannot rely on their dad at all. Same goes to the mom, as time and time again she shows that she is selfish. The money that she inherited probably went to her failing art career, and supplies for it. The kids cannot rely on their horrible parents which shows in this quote.

Social Issue

144100129 — 2024-02-21 09:30:32 UTC

A social issue present in this chunk was religion. In this chunk, Christmas time is upon the family. But around this time, Rex Walls was getting very drunk and began destroying things around the house. He was rarely sober, and the kids knew that as well. But the mom was certain that this Christmas would be different from any other, and that things would change for the Walls family. When the time for Christmas church came around, Jeanette suggested that Rex stay home as he was still drunk and might cause a commotion. But Rose was stubborn, and wanted everyone to go as she believed going to church was important for things to change for them. But when they do get to church, the dad is of course drunk and starts saying blasphemous things in the church. The family was embarrassed, and Rex even said a weird thing to Jeanette. It is clear how different religion is for Rex and Rose. Rex does not respect it, even though he grew up learning about it. It can show a lot about his character and why he does things, as he feels the need to challenge religion. But to Rose, it is slightly more important, as she is still a Christian. But she only goes to the church when she needs something, like a good change for the Rex family. It can also show her character as well.

Personal Reflection

144100129 — 2024-02-21 09:58:31 UTC

A part in this chunk that was sort of like a mirror was in page 104. In this page, the mom takes the kids to a library, and she suggests that they should jump into the fountain to cool off. When they do, people start to look at her weirdly and insisted that swimming in the fountain was forbidden. But she doesn't care if people were judging her or telling her things, and she says mind your beeswax to them. My mom has never insisted that we jump into a public fountain, but she does not care if people judge her or anything like that. Sometimes it is embarrassing as she doesn't do crazy things like Rose does, but she does some things sometimes that can be embarrassing. So in a way, my mom can be similar to Rose Walls and her mannerisms.

Physiological Lens

144100129 — 2024-02-21 10:05:24 UTC

4.) The background for every character is different. The background for Rex Walls sort of justifies his decisions and his mindset, but it does not mean that what he does is okay. He grew up in a very bad household and he picked up things from his life then. From what to do and what not to do. As well as when his daughter died. And that explains why he drinks. Rex has gone through a lot of traumatic things which can explain and show through his character. Rose's background however does not justify what she does. She grew up with a strict mother, which is why she is the opposite. But she is incredibly irresponsible, and can't take care of her children for anything. In this chunk, the children begin stealing things, which I believe is not right, but I can see why they do it. The children don't have any money, and sometimes they want nice things. Overall, the justification for their things changes for each person.

Quote

144100129 — 2024-02-21 10:19:23 UTC

A quote that stuck out to me in this chunk was on page 148. During this chunk, Erma sews Brian's pants while he has them on, and Jeanette walks in and it looks weird because it seems that Erma is touching Brian inappropriately. Jean begins yelling at Erma claiming that shes a pervert. Lori hears the commotion and runs to them, and she tries to calm the situation down, but Erma slaps Lori hard as hell. Lori doesn't take it, and she begins fighting back. Uncle Stanley breaks them up. Erma is super pissed, and when Rex and Rose come back they hear about what happened. Rex goes down to them and is incredibly mad. He yells at them and said it doesn't matter if it was in self defense. The kids talk about it, and they say "'Dad was really weird,' I said, because someone had to say it. 'You'd be weird, too, if Erma was your mom,' Lori said. 'Do you think she ever did something to Dad like what she did to Brian?.' I asked. No one said a thing. It was gross and creepy to think about, but it would explain a lot." We don't know what Rex went through as a child, but this experience and Rex's reaction can explain why he does the things he does. And it shows what he went through and his life choices that led him to what he is as of now in the book.

Personal Reflection

2024-02-22 17:14:56 UTC

I do not really relate to much in this chapter, but something that is the same is that me and Jeanette both got jobs at a young age. Although she is still much younger than me when she got a job, and we have different reasons, we both still thought that it was best to earn money so we can start buying our own things. I have been working since last year, and Jeanette was working at 12. Something that is different and the opposite from this chapter is the house that this family lives in. I am thankful to live in a nice house, but the family in this chunk are desperate to find a house away from Erma, and so they go for the cheapest house they can get. It is very bad and they do not have many things that many people take for granted.