The Glass Castle Padlet Themes Test- Marc Robles Munoz Teter by

Addiction helps to show why the wall’s children had bad experiences.

xb2bf7bbbm — 2025-02-27 20:00:17 UTC

For Jeannette’s birthday, she asked her father to stop drinking. Lori and Jeanette talked about it after with Lori saying, “He tried stopping before, but it never lasted.” and a few months later he was back on the drink. The photo shows consumption ant a level comparable with an alcoholics. Page 118-122. On page 174, Rose admits to being a sugar addict going as far as to hide the chocolate from her starving children. “I’m a sugar addict, just like your father is an alcoholic.” And on page 155, there is a huge rat due to Rose Mary’s sugar addiction. Jeanette went to the kitchen to find it bathing in the punch bowl of sugar Rose kept.

Personal work & where it can take you.

xb2bf7bbbm — 2025-02-27 20:06:27 UTC

Throughout the section Welch, Jeanette and Lori strive to make money to get Lori to New York, Brian later helps as well. Jeanette takes on babysitting, tutoring, and gets a job at a jewelry store. Lori makes signs for people at the school and Brian does things like mowing lawns for money. When Rex takes their money and rubs salt into the wound they kept persevering to make some money back but it hadn’t been enough until Jeannette was offered a summer babysitting job. Someone who she babysat for was moving and asked to have Jeannette watch her kids. Jeanette asks her to take Lori instead and send her to New York after. It works and gets Lori to New York who later helps the rest of the Walls children get to New York. Within New York both Lori and Jeanette continue to work and further themselves with Jeanette becoming a reporter before going to collage.

Segregation, skin & class

xb2bf7bbbm — 2025-02-27 20:14:18 UTC

On page 190 we get a glimpse of the racism eluded to earlier through Erma scolding Jeannette for going to the N-vill. “The pool was not segregated, anyone could swim at anytime-technically at least-but the fact was that all black people swim in the morning, when it was free, and all the white people swam in the afternoon, when admission was ¢50.” This an unenforced racial segregation. Going to the pool with her new friend Ditina pushed her to break racial norms. On Jeannette’s first day of school, she was seen as an outsider and mocked by her teacher for it. On page 137, it says, “The other kids stared at us, whispering among themselves, but they also kept their distance, as if they hadn’t decided whether we were predator or prey.” On the next page the teacher mocked her for using big words. She said, ““Is that what they say in a big city like Phoenix?” She pronounced it “Feeeeenix.” Then she turned to the class and said in a high, mocking voice, “Insufficient information to draw a conclusion.”” Jeannette was seen as an outsider and shunned by both kids and teachers because she was new.

Broken Promises & Trust

xb2bf7bbbm — 2025-02-27 20:19:41 UTC

Rex always promised his kids they’d build a castle made of glass. It was his main goal but he never had the money to do it. He promised them that it would be built and the kids started it in Welch by digging for the foundation. That hole was filled with trash because all dreams became trash to the kids and parents. In Phoenix, Rex asked Brian and Jeannette if he’d ever let them down and brain said under his breath that he did. On page 213, Jeanette is sent upstairs with Robbie by her dad. Jeanette is almost violated before she leaves and her dad does nothing to be sorry or protect her. His only words were, “I knew you could handle yourself.” Later on page 279, Rex asked Jeanette one last question, ““Hey,” he said. He winked and smiled at me. “Have I ever let you down?” Jeanette knew she couldn’t answer him so she simply smiled and left. She couldn’t tell her dad the truth.

What it takes to survive

xb2bf7bbbm — 2025-02-27 20:33:14 UTC

In battle mountain, Jeanette and Lori ate margarine and sugar to help stave off hunger. In Phoenix, Brian and Jeannette root through a store's dumpster and end up finding mostly edible chocolates which they were grateful for. In Welch, Brian, Jeanette, and most likely Lori all root through the garbage cans at school to try to find some food. Maureen went to her friends' houses for food and warmth to survive. The kids did what they had to do for themselves because they knew their parents couldn’t and wouldn’t provide for them.

Unconditional love

xb2bf7bbbm — 2025-02-27 20:45:10 UTC

Brian, Lori, and Jeannette have all been wronged by Rex and Rose but all three have still been there for them. Lori accepted them in and kept her mom for a while before her mom’s collection became too big. Brian watched over Rex for a bit until Rex refused to stay with a no alcohol rule. Jeanette had the most unconditional love for her father, he put her into bad situations, stolen from her, and just left her but she still loves him unconditionally. He asked her if he’s ever let her down, she chose to just smile and leave instead of tell him the truth to protect him.