Section Three

The Bronx, where everyone in the Walls family 

stayed at one point at the beginning of their New

York adventure.

Closer to the end of, “The Glass Castle” I come to find out the children were smart enough to get away. It all started with Lori and then Jeannette. They wanted to have freedom and the chance to live somewhere where things happen, they wanted to pursue their dreams in a place they knew they could, and most of all they just wanted out and away from their parents. I was joyous reading the moment they decided to save and earn their way out. I looked forward to the part when they actually left, but there was a surprising and disappointing event. Their father, Rex Walls, never changed; he stole their money for alcohol and cigarettes. He knew they were going to use that money to start their lives in New York, but no he had to make them start all over again and work harder than before. As soon as they could, they would leave because their lives were living terribly the longer they stayed with their parents. Lori left and started life in New York and successfully made it through, allowing Jeannette to follow her soon after. Not much longer and all four Walls kids had made it to New York. They had all been successful or heading towards it until their parents showed up as well. They turned their youngest daughter into a living slob depending on others to take care of her. The first three though did make it to their dreams. They all eventually lived happy lives in the end, leaving me with smiles. Never once did I ever change my mind about those Walls parents. They never will be on my good side, they don’t deserve the children they had because all of them at some point helped them in time of need.

Section Two

The home in Welch at which the Wall's family had

 lived in at one time.

In the middle of the novel, “The Glass Castle” we begin to see some peace from traveling from place to place. The Walls family settled in with Rex’s mom, Jeannette’s grandmother, in Welch. Welch was different from most places they stayed at, it for one allowed them to enroll in school, get meals on the regular, and the weather seemed to be completely different. I felt a little better when they stayed there, except for the grandmother. She was a lady who didn’t seem like one, I disliked her from the first mention of her.  After a scuffle between the children and her occurred they moved out and onto Little Hobart Street. There they lived in what seemed to be a rundown shack on the top of a hill. This was something they were looking forward to, owning something of their own besides her other grandmother’s inheritance in Phoenix. I had intentions that the family would be like any normal one, getting jobs and going to school and eating food on the daily. I almost threw my book when I would find out that Rex would go out and use the money, they had earned to buy food, on gambling or for alcohol and cigarettes. I have decided that I dislike the parents of the Walls family and don’t plan on changing my mind about them. I feel like the parents take their children for granted because they’re always there and don’t worry about them turning against them.

Section One

Jeannette Walls and her younger siblings;
Brian Walls (middle) and Maureen Walls (right).

In the beginning of, “The Glass Castle” Jeannette explains how she was always on the move with her family. Moving from one old mining town to the next the kids didn’t get much schooling nor made many friends. The family was always on the move because of finances or because of brawls her father had gotten into. I had felt bad for Jeannette and her siblings from the beginning especially after reading the part where she was burned from a fire, started from her making hot dogs by herself, because of the reckless parenting. Her parents believed that children were independent beings and learned things from experience, I on the other hand disagree because there is a fine line between parenting and just plain ignoring the kid until he/she is hurt. Although I had disagreed with the parenting another thing bothering me was the fact that sometimes the kids didn’t eat for a few days at a time because of their finances. Honestly, I couldn’t stand the feeling of parents with children could be so irresponsible due to lack of interest in working to feed them and clothe them and shelter them. I came across a few times that they just laid blankets out on the sand in a desert and slept right there under the stars or sometimes in the car, only if the weather was bad though.