https://padlet.com/385405/b9a7me2mbt209t13 The Themes Within the Memoir en-us 2022-10-31 18:44:18 UTC 2025-10-25 19:42:58 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f5ff.png 385405 https://padlet.com/385405/b9a7me2mbt209t13/wish/2363830801 The Glass Castle is a 2005 memoir written by Jeannette Walls. In this story, Walls explains the bizarre and absurd childhood in which she experienced with her family. From travelling to Phoenix, Arizona, to living in a rotting house in Welch, West Virginia, The Glass Castle encapsulates many themes of forgiveness, unending love, and the overall beauty of perseverance.]]> 2022-10-31 18:51:19 UTC https://padlet.com/385405/b9a7me2mbt209t13/wish/2363830801 385405 https://padlet.com/385405/b9a7me2mbt209t13/wish/2409670576 Theme: perseverance is a gift in which every human is born with, whether discovered or not.
Likely one of the most prominent themes in The Glass Castle, multiple examples of this is shown.
An example of perseverance can be found when Jeannette and Lori had their money for New York stolen by their own father. Jeannette reflected, '..."I'll never get out of here," Lori kept saying. "I'll never get out of here." "You will," I said. "I swear it." I believed she would. Because I knew that if Lori never got out of Welch, neither would I.' 
Highlighting an emotional moment, it is surprising how helpful emotional encouragement may be towards a physical goal. In this case, Jeannette and Lori were in a state of desperation to escape the grip of their parents, that all was needed was perseverance and hope.]]> 2022-12-05 19:25:43 UTC https://padlet.com/385405/b9a7me2mbt209t13/wish/2409670576 385405 https://padlet.com/385405/b9a7me2mbt209t13/wish/2409670860 Theme: Without self-control, experience, and long suffering, unconditional love is never achievable.
Unconditional love is often a theme that is not present in many stories. An example of unconditional love occurs when Rex and Rose Mary follow their children to New York. Even after a childhood full of abandonment and neglect, Jeannette meets up with her mother and does not resent from considering wanting, "...to buy them something that would improve their lives. It could be a small car. It could be the security deposit and a few months' rent on an apartment. It could be the down payment on a house in an inexpensive neighborhood." Here, Jeannette expresses unconditional love despite the treatment as a child. With many near-death experiences and the selfishness of her own mother and father, Jeannette offers money from her own paycheck to support those who hurt her.]]> 2022-12-05 19:25:56 UTC https://padlet.com/385405/b9a7me2mbt209t13/wish/2409670860 385405 https://padlet.com/385405/b9a7me2mbt209t13/wish/2409671240 Theme: Those who only choose a life of fantasy and neglect truth will end up facing the harshest realities.
As easily shown in The Glass Castle, some do not live with a sense of awareness of reality. A prominent example can go towards both Rex and Rose Mary Walls. However, one situation highlights the blurred line of fantasy and reality.
When living in Phoenix, Jeannette would not eat on days on end. When telling her mother how she truly felt, Jeannette recalls that her mother "...gave me a startled look. I'd broken one of our unspoken rules: We were always supposed to pretend our life was one long and incredibly fun adventure." This experience ties well into the theme, as Jeannette's parents both convinced themselves to live a fabricated life. In reality, the Walls were very poor, starving, freezing, and overall had fallen apart.]]> 2022-12-05 19:26:16 UTC https://padlet.com/385405/b9a7me2mbt209t13/wish/2409671240 385405 https://padlet.com/385405/b9a7me2mbt209t13/wish/2411231977 Theme: Without chaos, there is no order and without order, one may miss out on a beautiful story.
Theoretically, there cannot be order without chaos and vice versa. This theme is prominent during the end of the memoir. When Jeannette unites with her family to celebrate the life of Rex, the prominence of balance is pointed out, stating "...A wind picked up, rattling the windows, and the candle flames suddenly shifted, dancing along the border between turbulence and order." Here, there is a physical event occurring in order to overall represent what emotionally occurred within the Walls family. As Jeannette and her siblings underwent the childhood that they did, the obsession and strive to maintain order became prominent. ]]> 2022-12-06 20:06:22 UTC https://padlet.com/385405/b9a7me2mbt209t13/wish/2411231977 385405 https://padlet.com/385405/b9a7me2mbt209t13/wish/2414885896 Theme: What does not destroy a person, makes a person.
Most of the time, one could not imagine a life without the proper support of parents. As for the Walls children, each made something different about the experience. One of the most prominent examples of this is Brian. Jeannette explains how after his first divorce, "...he had consoled himself by buying and renovating a wreck of a town house in Brooklyn. ...It was the second time he'd taken on a true dump and restored it to perfection. Also, at least two women were after him to marry them. He was doing pretty darn well."
Here, it is presented how Brian, being the only boy and likely having one of the most difficult childhoods, overcame. Brian transformed all the abuse and oppression and made beauty out of it. In the end, Brian was one of the most successful and happiest.]]> 2022-12-08 21:22:16 UTC https://padlet.com/385405/b9a7me2mbt209t13/wish/2414885896 385405 https://padlet.com/385405/b9a7me2mbt209t13/wish/2415849778 Theme: A promise broken is able to damage greatly, even the life of a person.
In The Glass Castle, broken promises are likely related to Rex and Rose Mary Walls. However, a very scarring broken promise is one made by Jeannette towards Maureen. When Maureen was born, Jeannette promised to take care of her. But after Maureen stabbed Rose Mary and fled to California, that promise was never fulfilled. Jeannette recalls, "...I'd always had mixed feelings about bringing her to New York, but I'd agreed to let her come. Once she arrived, I'd been too busy taking care of myself to look after her. "I'm sorry, Maureen," I said when the time came. "sorry for everything."
Here, Jeannette realizes that she had not fulfilled her promise to take care of Maureen, yet was unable to fix her actions. As Jeannette could have helped Maureen earlier, she did not, therefore the mental state of her sister festered.]]> 2022-12-09 17:04:41 UTC https://padlet.com/385405/b9a7me2mbt209t13/wish/2415849778