The Glass Castle by

Maturity

mona051907 — 2025-02-27 19:49:36 UTC

When Jeannette was three years old, she was seriously burned while cooking hot dogs for herself and was taken to the hospital. When one of the nurses tells her that she is going to be okay, Jeannette responds with, "I know," I said "but if I'm not, that's okay too."(pg 10) At just three years old, Jeannette already has the comprehension what most adults are barely starting to get.

Poverty

mona051907 — 2025-02-27 19:49:51 UTC

This picture of food in the trash reflects on the times when Jeannette was in school and she would have nothing to eat for lunch. During the span of the Walls children's lives, they have had to deal with the fact that their family will struggle with not having enough. Whether its food, clothes, and money, the children were forced to make the best out of the situation. This is an example of poverty because Jeannette would have to retrieve food from the restroom trash to be able to eat during lunch time. On page 173, it states, When other girls came in and threw away their lunch bags in the garbage pails, I'd go retrieve them. I couldn't get over the way kids tossed out all this perfectly good food...I'd return to the stall and polish off my tasty finds." The best and practically only way Jeannette could eat during school was staying in the bathroom stalls until she finds food in the trash and then go back into the stalls to eat it.

Self-sufficiency

mona051907 — 2025-02-27 19:58:45 UTC

This photo of a hand with the word "No"shows all the times the Walls family, more specifically the parents, Rose Mary and Rex, would refuse any kind of help. This is an example of self-sufficiency because on page 159, it states, "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. "We can take care of our own," Mom and Dad liked to say. "We don't accept handouts from anyone." So even though the family were deeply struggling, the parents would not let anyone help them.

Forgiveness

mona051907 — 2025-02-27 19:59:06 UTC

This picture ..... On page 279, Jeannette states that even "But despite all the hell-raising and destruction and chaos he has created in our lives, I could not imagine what my life would be like-what the world would be like-without him in it. As awful as he could be, I always knew he loved me in a way no one else ever had."

Broken Promises

mona051907 — 2025-02-27 20:43:42 UTC

This picture of an hourglass with the words "broken promises" reflects on how Jeannette feels she has let down and broke her promise with Maureen, her younger sister. This is an example of broken promises because while the Walls children were growing up, Maureen was usually taken cared of by neighbors or friends. On page 206 it states, "At times I felt like I was failing Maureen, like I wasn't keeping my promise that I'd protect her-the promise I'd made to her when I held her on the way home from the hospital after she'd been born. I couldn't get her what she needed most-hot baths, a warm bed, steaming bowls of Cream of Wheat before school in the morning-but I tried to do little things." Now although Jeannette did try to the "little things" for her sister, she still felt that she was failing Maurren since she felt that she couldn't be there for her, even though their parents should be the ones that take care of all the siblings.

Child neglect

mona051907 — 2025-03-03 05:25:17 UTC

This picture of a mother neglecting her baby crying, reflects on the way Rose Mary would treat her children when they were crying. This is an example of child neglect because on page 28, it states, "Mom always said people worried too much about their children. Suffering when you're young is good for you, she said. It immunized your body and your soul, and that was why she ignored us kids when we cried. Fussing over children who cry only encourages them, she told us. That's positive reinforcement for negative behavior." Although a much nicer "self -soothing" method of parenting is used, neglecting your children and having them raise themselves is not an appropriate parenting method, such as what Rose Mary did for all her children.