Unconventional Parenting
When you think about your childhood, how would you describe it? Lonely? Happy? Different? Chaotic? Restrictive? Angry? Whatever word or phrase you use to describe your childhood, undoubtedly you would agree that how we are raised as children impact and shape our life as we grow up. Whether we duplicate our parents style of teaching, habits, or behavior we usually are affected by what we see and deem to be the right or wrong course of action. In The Glass Castle, the Walls children experience a very dysfunctional, chaotic, and untraditional way of life. Their parents believe in nonconformity and they are very permissive in terms of parenting. They would spend most of their time wrapped up in their own interests foregoing
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their parental responsibilities which causes the children to pretty much be abandoned. The children love their life and view it as an adventure despite dealing with persistent poverty. Nonetheless, the children are affected by the way they were brought up. The parenting style made the children suffer from a loss of innocence, while obtaining independence, and establishing sibling support. Due to their unconventional upbringing, the Walls children suffered from a loss of innocence at an early age.
In the beginning of the book, Rex uproots his family in the middle of the night only taking essentials and their pet cat. As they drive, Rex throws the cat out the window and when the children understandingly begin to cry their mother says, “Don’t be so sentimental…” (Walls 18). At that time, the Walls children were all under the age of six so having to move unexpectedly and leave everything they knew behind must have been a traumatic experience. Not to mention, watching their father abruptly throw their beloved cat out the window like it was trash, and their mother having such a callous attitude about it must have been shocking as well. The Walls children were not only leaving their home behind but also part of their childhood. This experience is something they will carry with them into their adulthood. All the emotional baggage this event caused could have a negative impact on them later in life and could leave emotional wounds. Another way a loss of innocence can be seen is the exposure to weaponry the Walls children experienced at a young age. For example, Jeannette says, “By the time I was four, I was pretty good with Dad’s pistol…[I] could hit five out of six beer bottles at thirty paces” (Walls 21). Most four-year-olds are learning shapes and colors, the alphabet, playing with toys, or watching television. The Walls children were not like most, they possessed …show more content…
skills and had knowledge about things that most children do not. They missed out on some of their childhood because their parents subjected them to things most children should not have to deal with and in a sense, their parents robbed them of some of their innocence. Loss of innocence was paramount in their childhood, which in turn, caused the Walls children to learn independence at an early age. Independence was a result of the parenting style they encountered growing up.
They lived in constant poverty and went to bed hungry numerous times because of their parents’ lack of money. The Walls children had to fend for themselves when they wanted something to eat. This was made clear when Jeannette said, “When we wanted money, we walked along the roadside picking up beer cans and bottles that we redeemed for two cents each” (Walls 62). They probably walked for hours only making enough money to buy a candy bar that would hold over their hunger for a few hours. The children were forced to make their own money because they knew that if they continued to wait on their parents they would starve. Jeannette also explains how she used to steal food at school. She says, “During recess at school, I’d slip back into the classroom and find something in some other kid’s lunch bag that wouldn’t be missed…and I’d gulp it down…” (Walls 68). Jeannette was hungry most of the time due to how her parents lived, and out of necessity she determined that one of the best ways to satisfy her hunger was to steal from her classmates. Both examples show that the Walls children had to rely on themselves and not be dependent on their parents. Most of the time, their parents were too self-absorbed in their own dealings and they did not have time to properly care for their children. This caused the children to become self-reliant and learn the importance of standing by each other. If it was not for
this forced independence, the children would likely not know the meaning of teamwork, and how important it was to always support each other. Since the Walls children had a chaotic home life, sibling support was an important aspect of their life. When Jeannette was walking home from school one day, a group of girls attacked her. She was badly beaten and the next day her brother defended her. Jeannette said, “…Brian jumped out from behind a clump of sagebrush, waving a yucca branch” (Walls 45). Brian did not have to help her deal with her bullies. He could have told Jeannette that she had to fight her own battles or he could have walked away. However, he accompanied her on the way home from school knowing that her bullies would be waiting for her. He picked up a branch thinking it would help fend off the girls but deep down he knew that it would likely not work. He probably wanted to hurt them for messing with his sister the day before. He protected her knowing that he could get hurt himself and he was okay with that. Being raised in the environment like they were, the Walls children were used to only having each other so their support and reliance on each other grew. Consequently, they would protect and stay loyal to each other until the bitter end. Another instance of their support for each other was when they had to deal with their mother who selfishly put her own interests above their children. Their mother contributed to their constant state of hunger such as when she hid chocolate from her starving children. Jeannette says, “Brian snatched up the chocolate bar and divided it into four pieces” (Walls 174). Brian was acting more like the parent and made sure that he and his siblings had something to eat. Their mother neglected her parental obligations and put her needs above that of her children. She was okay with seeing her children starve as long as she had something to munch on. Because of the parenting style, the children had to step up and this caused them all to look after each other. The children were always together whether they were scavenging for food or playing together. They always had each other’s back and stood together because they knew all they had were each other to rely on. President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “We may not be able to prepare the future for our children, but we can at least prepare our children for the future.” The Walls children by no means had perfect parents, however, their parents did love them. They strived to do the best they could for them. They raised their children the way they did so that they would learn from a young age how to become self-reliant and to “prepare them for the future,” as President Roosevelt stated. Due to their upbringing, the Walls children’s life was not always pleasant. They experienced a loss of innocence at an early age due to their parents exposing them to things that young children should not have to go through. They grew up too fast and never really had a childhood. This also caused the children to learn independence. Most of the time, the children were isolated and spent time together. Their parents were doing their own thing while their kids were either scavenging for food or coming up with ways to make money. I do not think any child should have to wander the streets for hours in search of their next meal because their parents are too lazy and selfish to provide for them. However, their type of upbringing caused the children to support and stand by each other. They knew that their parents were not always there, so their devotion towards each other deepened. Overall, the Walls children show us that how we are raised as children does affect our life whether that is in a negative or positive way. Since we have limited control over who our parents are, it is up to us to not dwell on the negative aspects of our upbringing but to accentuate the positive and make the most out our parents contributions.
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a memoir told from the perspective of a young girl (the author) who goes through an extremely hard childhood. Jeannette writes about the foodless days and homeless nights, however Jeannette uses determination, positivity, sets goals, and saves money, because of this she overcame her struggles. One of the ways Jeannette survived her tough childhood was her ability to stay positive. Throughout The Glass Castle, Jeannette was put in deplorable houses, and at each one she tries to improve it. “A layer of yellow paint, I realized would completely transform, our dingy gray house,” (Walls 180).
In the book, The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls is trying to tell us that her parents are taking her happiness away. In this section, young Jeannette is witnessing how her parents get into argument about money and disrespect people who are trying to help their condition. Walls says, “I thought Grandma Smith was great. But after a few weeks, she and Dad would always get into some nasty hollering match. It might start with Mom mentioning how short we were on cash” (Walls 20).
Every day the safety and well-being of many children are threatened by neglect. Each child deserves the comfort of having parents whom provide for their children. Throughout the memoir, The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls explains the childhood from being born into the hands of parent who neglect their children. Many may argue that children need to grow with their parents; however, the removal of children is necessary if the parents disregard the kid’s needs and cannot provide a stable life for their children.
It was times throughout the book the reader would be unsure if the children would even make it. For example, “Lori was lurching around the living room, her eyebrows and bangs all singed off…she had blisters the length of her thighs”(178).Both Lori and Jeannette caught fire trying to do what a parent is supposed to do for their child. Jeannette caught fire at the age of three trying to make hotdogs because her mother did not cook for her leaving Jeannette to spend weeks hospitalized. She was burnt so bad she had to get a skin graft, the doctors even said she was lucky to be alive. The children never had a stable home. They were very nomadic and a child should be brought up to have one stable home. No child should remember their childhood constantly moving. This even led to Maureen not knowing where she come from because all she can remember is her moving. The children had to explain to her why she looked so different is because where she was born. They told Maureen “she was blond because she’d been born in a state where so much gold have been mined, and she had blue eyes the color of the
Jeannette Wales, author of The Glass Castle, recalls in her memoir the most important parts of her life growing up as a child that got her where she is now. Her story begins in Arizona in a small house with her parents and three siblings. Her parents worked and didn’t do much as parents so she had to become very independent. Her parents and siblings were the highlights to most of her memory growing up. She is able to recall memories that most small children wouldn’t be able to recall with as much detail.
The Struggle Of Building Adversity means difficulties or misfortune. When someone's dealing with things or a situation turns out to go against them, they face adversity. Adversity is something someone comes across in life, it's like being part of a person. Decisions and actions are influenced by a lot of things. Conflicts influence all kinds of actions and decisions, depending on the person.
Jeannette Walls has lived a life that many of us probably never will, the life of a migrant. The majority of her developmental years were spent moving to new places, sometimes just picking up and skipping town overnight. Frugality was simply a way of life for the Walls. Their homes were not always in perfect condition but they continued with their lives. With a brazen alcoholic and chain-smoker of a father and a mother who is narcissistic and wishes her children were not born so that she could have been a successful artist, Jeannette did a better job of raising herself semi-autonomously than her parents did if they had tried. One thing that did not change through all that time was the love she had for her mother, father, brother and sisters. The message that I received from reading this memoir is that family has a strong bond that will stay strong in the face of adversity.
Throughout the book The Glass Castle, Jeannette and her family are essentially homeless, which leaves them with dealing with the daily struggles that come along with it. Although there are only a few instances where the Walls did not have a home, the conditions they lived through were horrendous. Jeannette and her siblings cope with their situations in many ways. At the beginning, the children never complained. Their parents Rex and Rose Mary had significantly different coping mechanisms. While Rose Mary was painting or sleeping, Rex was heading to the local bars. Their ways of dealing with their living situations and overall economic and political status did not help the siblings lead a fulfilling childhood. Coping mechanisms
In the book The Glass Castle the parents take a very laissez faire approach to parenting. Some people say that this is a good parenting style because it allows the children to find themselves and so they are not guided by their parents. This may work in some cases. But, in Jeannette Walls case she does not have resources to become what she wants to become. Her dad can not hold a job so they're constantly moving moving around. Also, this parenting style can be very dangerous Within the first page of of Jeannette talk about her childhood it already is a consequence of this Laissez Faire Parenting style “[Jeannette] was three years old… [She] was standing on a chair in front of the stove, wearing a pink dress…[she] was wearing the dress to cook hot dogs”(Walls 9). Already this shows a very Laissez Faire style she is cooking hot dogs in a dress. A few sentences later it talks about how her mom is in the other room singing not
It is commonly believed that the only way to overcome difficult situations is by taking initiative in making a positive change, although this is not always the case. The theme of the memoir the Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is that the changes made in children’s lives when living under desperate circumstances do not always yield positive results. In the book, Jeannette desperately tries to improve her life and her family’s life as a child, but she is unable to do so despite her best efforts. This theme is portrayed through three significant literary devices in the book: irony, symbolism and allusion.
Many people have been questioning on whether maturity depends on one’s age. I believe that maturity isn’t dependant on someone’s age because one matures based on things they’ve undergo, and how their environment can be.
...life living with yet loving parents and siblings just to stay alive. Rosemary and Rex Walls had great intelligence, but did not use it very wisely. In the book The Glass Castle, author Jeanette Walls discovers the idea that a conservative education may possibly not always be the best education due to the fact that the Walls children were taught more from the experiences their parents gave them than any regular school or textbook could give them. In this novel readers are able to get an indication of how the parents Rex and Rosemary Walls, choose to educate and give life lessons to their children to see the better side of their daily struggles. Showing that it does not matter what life throws at us we can take it. Rosemary and Rex Walls may not have been the number one parents in the world however they were capable in turning their children into well-educated adults.
Children living in this type of environment may feel anger, shame, and sadness. They are forced to take on adult roles much earlier because their parents are irresponsible. For instance it shows this in The Glass Castle because the children are forced to make their own meals and fend for themselves because Rex is too busy drinking and Rose Mary is careless (Walls). Alcoholism takes away children’s childhood by forcing them to take on adult roles. Another example of this is when Billy Deel is forced to take care of himself while his father is passed out and constantly drinking, “Billy had a lot of unsupervised time on his hands” (Walls 82). Billy was greatly affected by his father’s alcohol abuse his personality didn’t maturely develop like other children. This is shown when he sexually assaults Jeanette and doesn’t see anything wrong with it, he yells on page 87 “Guess what? I raped you!” (Walls). This statement proves that parents make a huge impact on children, and when children don’t have that, they suffer. Alcohol abuse is not an individual problem, it affects everyone surrounding that person. It isn’t fair for children to be raised in that environment and government should take greater action to protect the children’s safety by removing them from homes like
Could the dysfunction of the Walls family have fostered the extraordinary resilience and strength of the three older siblings through a collaborative set of rites of passage? One could argue that the unusual and destructive behavior of the parents forced the children into a unique collection of rites of passage that resulted in surprisingly resilient and successful adults. In moving back to Welch, Virginia, the children lost what minimal sense of security they may have enjoyed while living in their grandmother’s home in Arizona. The culture and climate (both socially and environmentally) along with an increased awareness of their poverty resulted in a significant loss of identity. As they learned new social and survival skills in this desperate environment, there is a powerful sense of camaraderie between the older children. Their awareness, drive and cunning survival skills while living in Welch result in a developing sense of confidence in their ability to survive anything. This transition, while wretched, sets the stage for their ability to leave their environment behind with little concern for a lack of success. As the children leave, one by one, to New York, they continue to support one another, and emerge as capable, resourceful young adults.
...ndurance of poverty, as we witness how Walls has turned her life around and told her inspiring story with the use of pathos, imagery, and narrative coherence to inspire others around her (that if she can do it, so can others). Jeannette made a huge impact to her life once she took matters into her own hands and left her parents to find out what life has in store for her and to prove to herself that she is a better individual and that anything is possible. Despite the harsh words and wrongful actions of Walls’ appalling parents who engage her through arduous experiences, she remained optimistic and made it through the most roughest and traumatic obstacles of her life at the age of three. Walls had always kept her head held high and survived the hardships God put upon her to get to where she is today; an author with a best selling novel to tell her bittersweet story.