‘“Why are you doing this to us, Dad?’ I asked. Why?’ His face tightened with anger, then he staggered to the sofa bed and passed out. ‘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,’ (Walls 229). 

The song, "Because of You", by Kelly Clarkson relates to the struggles and hardships Jeannette has gone through as a child. The first verse of the song speaks about the reasoning behind Jeannette and Lori's move to New York:

"I will not make the same mistakes that you did;

I will not let myself;

Cause my heart so much misery;

I will not break the way you did;

You fell so hard" (Because of You 0:14-0:35)

"Because of You" speaks about the struggle of being held back by someone else. For Jeannette, her parents constantly devalued the importance of her education. Although her parents taught her most material, Jeannette never truly fit in; she was always the new kid who never stayed around. In 2017, a film adaptation was made of The Glass Castle, though the theme song did not seem fitting to the plotline of the movie. The song, "Because of You", is a perfect fit for a film adaptation of, The Glass Castle, since the lyrics of the song can relate to the struggles Jeannette and her siblings encounter throughout their entire lives. Once Jeannette grew up, she knew she 'did not want to break' the way her parents did; protecting themselves over their children. "Because of You" is a fitting theme song for the film adaptation of The Glass Castle because of the relations between the lyrics and the hardships in Jeannette’s life. 

         “Billy smushed his face against mine, then grabbed my hair and my head bend sideways and stuck his tongue in my mouth. It was slimy and disgusting, but when I tried to pull away, he pushed in toward me. The more I pulled, the more he pushed until he was on top of me and I felt his fingers tugging at my shorts. His other hand was unbuttoning his own pants. To stop him, I put my hand down there, and when I touched it, I knew what it was, even though I had never touched one before. I couldn’t knee him in the groin like Dad had told me to if a guy jumped on me because my knees were outside his legs, so I bit him hard on the ear,” (Walls 86). 

It is disheartening to hear that between 2006-2008, 7% of girls between grades 5-8 reported sexual abuse (ACOG 2017). The effects of experiencing sexual abuse for minors are damaging. Some survivors of sexual abuse use self-blame as an emotional reaction to the situation, which may lead to common mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety (ACOG 2017). Though it is not specifically stated in the memoir, it is presumed that Jeannette suffers from PTSD because of her experience with Billy Deel. A physical effect of sexual abuse is self-neglect, which is prominent in Jeannette’s first marriage. Sexual abuse an issue in society, but affects people of all ages; including young children. 

“‘I’m not rich,’ I said. ‘But I have some money. Tell me what it is you need.’[...]‘I’m talking about something that could help you change your life, make it better.’ ‘You want to help me change my life?’ Mom asked. ‘I’m fine. You’re the one who needs help. Your values are all confused.’  (Walls 5). 

Mary, Jeannette’s mother, never took care of her children; she’d rather be on the streets, looking good instead of paying for food, clothes or shelter. She continues to tell Jeannette that her morals are wrong, for having a home, and thinking she needed to help her parents, though they liked how they were living. Unlike Jeannette, I was privileged enough to have one singular place to call home, but Jeannette’s life is an example of how someone can get something from nothing. 

“We brought the ring home and showed it to Mom. She held it up to the light, then said we needed to have it appraised. The next day she took the Trailways bus to Bluefield. When she returned, she told us it was in fact a genuine two-carat diamond. ‘So what’s it worth?’ I asked. ‘That doesn’t matter, Mom said. ‘How come?’ ‘Because we are not selling it.’ [...] ‘But Mom, I said, ‘that ring could get us a lot of food.’ ‘That’s true,’ Mom said, ‘but it could also improve my self-esteem. And at times like these, self-esteem is even more vital than food.’” (Walls 186). 

After reading this page in the memoir, I didn’t know how to react. My heart sunk so far, I felt it drop into my stomach. Mary was not a fit mother for her children, something Grandma Smith saw before anyone else did. There is a fine line between putting yourself first and being selfish, but Mary crossed the threshold a long time ago. This part in the memoir angered me the most due to the inability Mary has to protect her children, and want to keep them happy and healthy. After reading the memoir, I never felt so much anger towards a person I do not know personally. Jeannette and her siblings had an unbearable childhood, full of uncertainty, heartache and stress, which tolled on them throughout their entire lives. 

“The houses were shabbier than the brick houses lower down in the valley. They were made out of wood, with lopsided porches, sagging roofs, rusted-out gutters, and balding tar paper or asphalt shingles slowly but surely parting from the under wall. In almost every yard, a mutt or two was chained to a tree or to a clothesline post, and they barked furiously as we walked by. Like most houses in Welch, these were heated by coal,” (Walls 150). 

 Mary and Rex forced their children to live in a situation like this; 93 Little Hobart Street, Welch, West Virginia. As the owners of the burnt house, what was once temporary, is now permanent. The house on Little Hobart street was inhabitable, especially not for a family with four small children.