The Glass Castle by Bryan Dominguez

Survival

dominguezbryan146 — 2025-03-03 10:54:31 UTC

Survival was a relentless struggle that demanded resourcefulness, resilience, and unwavering bonds. This picture of a person dumpster diving is reflective of the time when Jeannette Walls and her brother Brian Walls went dumpster diving because of how hungry they were. In the book it says, "We pigged out on chocolates, and from them on, whenever Mom was too busy to make dinner or we were out of food, we'd go back to the Dumpster to see if any new chocolate was waiting for us."(Pg.110) This shows how they would be so hungry to the point they would have to go dumpster diving for food. They would find chocolate in the dumpster and would eat it and would go back to the same dumpster every time they were hungry. This is an example of survival because both Jeannette Walls and Brian Walls were doing anything in order to survive no matter how embarrassed or shameful their actions were. This shows how they had an unbreakable bond, how they relied on each other, and how they found ways to survive because they knew they only had each other to rely on.

Abandonment

dominguezbryan146 — 2025-03-03 11:19:54 UTC

Abandonment, both physical and emotional, shaped the children's experiences and their evolving understanding of family. This picture of train tracks is reflective of the time when Rex Walls was driving the car, and he took a sharp turn over railroad tracks. That's when the door flew open, and Jeannette Walls fell out of the car. In the book it says, "They might decide that it wasn't worth the drive back to retrieve me; that, like Quixote the cat, I was a bother and a burden they could do without."(Pg.30) This shows how Jeannette thought she was a burden to the family and how she thought that her own family would abandon her. She talked about how Quixote the cat was abandoned and how she thought that she would be next. This is an example of abandonment because Jeannette Walls had been left behind without any care, was a child, and was hurt. Jeannette Walls was temporarily abandoned because she had been left alone, but after a little her family had gone back to pick her up. Quixote the cat didn't have the same luck and was left behind forever. This shows how the Wall's children were scared of being abandoned and how they had gone through abandonment. They felt that they would be abandoned at any time.

Poverty

dominguezbryan146 — 2025-03-03 11:54:30 UTC

Poverty is depicted not merely as a lack of material possessions, but as an unwelcomed force shaping the family's choices, resilience, and relationships. This picture of a house that is run down is reflective of the time when the Walls family moved to Ninety-three Little Hobart Street. In the book it says, "The house had no bathroom, but underneath it, behind one of the cinder-block pillars, was a closet-sized room with a toilet on the cement floor."(Pg.151) This shows the living conditions that the Walls family were going through. They didn't have enough to afford a place that had a bathroom, but instead they had to use a bathroom that was cemented to the ground. The Walls family could have had better things, but Rex and Rose Mary would deny help from everyone. In the book it says, "Although we were the poorest family on Little Hobart Street, Mom and Dad never applied for welfare or food stamps, and they always refused charity. When teachers gave us bags of clothes from church drives, Mom made us take them back."(Pg.159) This shows how even though the Walls family had chances at receiving help and aid from others, Rose Mary and Rex would deny the help and would return everything that they received from others. They did not accept handouts and never sought for help. This is an example of poverty because they lacked material possessions and also would refuse handouts from other people that wanted to help them out. They would bring themselves down. This shows the living situation that the Walls family faced as well as the fact that others tried to help them, but they refused it.

Addiction

dominguezbryan146 — 2025-03-03 12:14:10 UTC

Addiction, specifically Rex Walls' alcoholism, profoundly impacts the family's stability, relationships, and overall life experiences. This picture of a glass of alcohol on a table is reflective of the times when Rex Walls would go the bar and would get drunk. It shows the addiction he had with alcohol. In the book it says, "That night we were all sitting at the drafting table watching Lori put the final touches on Shakespeare's hair when Dad came home drunk."(Pg.226) This talks about the time when Lori had heard about a scholarship that was sponsored by a literary society and participated in it. It was later ruined by her dad. Later in the book it says, "He studied the sculpture, then suddenly reached over and smeared off Shakespeare's mouth with his thumb."(Pg.227) This shows how when Rex Walls was drunk, he would destroy the family little by little. The sculpture was really important to Lori who wanted to win the scholarship. This is an example of addiction because Rex Walls addiction to alcohol caused him to waste a lot of money on alcohol instead of buying food for his kids. Also, his addiction to alcohol ruined his own relationships with his children. Whenever he got drunk, things would start to go downhill.

Unconditional Love

dominguezbryan146 — 2025-03-03 12:29:26 UTC

Jeannette Walls complicated and enduring unconditional love for her father, Rex, despite his failings, highlights the enduring power of family bonds. This picture of a person in a hospital bed is reflective of the time when Rex Walls had suffered a heart attack and Jeannette had gone to visit him after she had heard the news. The machines of the hospital were the ones that were keeping him alive. Jeannette wanted to grab her father and escape Rex Walls style. In the book it says, "I had this crazy urge to scoop him up in my arms and charge through the doors---to check out Rex Walls-style one last time."(Pg.280) This shows the unconditional love Jeannette Walls had towards her father. They both loved each other a lot. She wanted to take him away from the hospital just as her dad had when she was in the hospital. This is an example of unconditional love because no matter the number of bad things her dad did or the situations, he put his own family in, she loved her dad and cared for him. She thought about the way he would feel about dying in the hospital. They both had a very strong bond.

Self-Sufficiency

dominguezbryan146 — 2025-03-03 12:49:03 UTC

The Walls children's development of self-sufficiency, born from necessity and shaped by their unconventional upbringing. This picture of a jewelry store is reflective of the time when Jeannette Walls started working in Becker's Jewel Box. Jeannette had started working to gain money and be able to buy groceries because the babysitting income was not enough, Rex would not provide for the family and Rose Mary had gone to Charleston. In the book it says, "Mom still had more than a month in Charleston; we were about to run out of grocery money; and my babysitting income wasn't making up the difference. I had seen help-wanted sign in the window of a jewelry store on McDowell Street called Becker's Jewel Box."(Pg.214) This talks about how Jeannette took it upon herself to find a job that paid a decent amount for her to buy groceries for her and her siblings. She knew she could not count on her dad to help her out and decided to work. This is an example of self-sufficiency because Jeannette Walls found it necessary to find a job to work to keep the family stabilized and so that they could have food to eat. She took on the responsibilities of a mom at such a young age. She needed to be the leading figure for her family to get through tough times. She took it upon herself to find a way that her family wouldn't have to go a day without eating.