Entry 6: Final Reflection

           The Glass Castle was everything I expected. From all the great reviews and high remarks I read about the book, it met my high standards. The writing style varies through the book, as sometimes Walls is very descriptive and other times very vague. At first I thought the font was really going to bother me, but after a while I realized what really mattered was what it was saying so if I focused on that, it was fine. At first I didn’t think I would enjoy memoirs, but the way Jeanette broke it up, I really enjoyed it. She split up every story in to different sections so you knew when one chapter was finished and the next began. This book was not only fascinating but an insight to a life very different to mine.

            I found the ending satisfying. Although it had to end in the death of her father, the approach Jeanette took was good. She gave us just enough details to know what happened but still left some details out so you can’t feel totally complete. When an author does that, it lets the reader have their own take on what they think happened. I was very sad when her father died but the close bond between them couldn’t be written in words. I could feel the connection between them as father asks “Hey. Have I ever let you down?...I just smiled. And then I closed the door. “(279). This brought tears to my eyes because that phrase summed up their relationship and in a way they were tears of joy. If those were the last words they had together, at least it was meaningful.

                                                                                    Word Count: 278 words

Entry 5: Connections

Night by Elie Wiesel can be closely compared to the book The Glass Castle. In both books, there are both figurative and literal connections being demonstrated. Night and Glass Castle both have totally different plots and story lines, but the charaters’ relationships are very alike. Elie Wiesel and Jeanette Walls both were children of a fairly large family with a few siblings and both had a very rough life. They both wrote these memoirs about their lives and the obstacles that they lived through.

            The relationship between the authors and their fathers were very significant. Elie and his father had a father-son bond and were the closest to each other then to anyone else in the story. Jeanette was also very close to her father and he even told her that she was his favorite kid. Despite how close they were, there was still something in between them pulling them apart. Elie and his father helped each other, supported one another, and guided each other through the camps. Jeanette led her father through trying to fix his addiction to alcohol and the stress that he caused the family as a whole. As though the closer each pair became the father apart they were. Jeanette felt embarrassed and almost humiliated by her father but she would never tell that to his face. Elie helped out his father providing him with the necessary resources to survive, but inside he wanted to become free and overcome all the torture being put upon him.

            The literal connection of these books is the almost nomadic lifestyle both families live. In Night, Elie and his father travel from camp to camp together, going through a wide variety of places and situations. They never would know when they were going to leave their current location and didn’t bring anything with them. In Glass Castle, Jeanette constantly “skedaddle” (19). This was a term to mean picking up and moving and traveling to a new place. Each kid was only usually allowed to bring 1 thing with them. These books were very different but still had a connection that was not very straightforward, but visible between the lines.

                                                                                        Word Count: 359 words
   

Front cover of Night

                  

Elie Wiesel Today

Front cover of Glass Castle

          

Jeanette Walls Today

                                     

Entry 4: Title Significance  

       The title of Jeanette Walls Glass Castle has one literal meaning. When Jeanette was a young child her father always told her one day they would live in a glass castle. Jeanette Walls describes that “it will have a glass ceiling and thick glass walls and even a glass staircase” (25). Walls father had many dreams and hopes for the future and with all his intelligence he really hoped those would lead to success. But he never followed through with his promises and the kids started to lose faith in him. The Glass Castle is a fantasy of Rex Walls dreams and is a goal in life for him and the family. Jeanette would love for this to happen but she can’t count on him anymore because although he doesn’t realize he lets his family down all the time. Rex Walls asks his children “have I ever let you down?” and under Brian’s breathe he said “yes” (78).  The repetition of glass castle throughout the story is almost a slight case of anaphora repeating something over and over again to make a point.  The title Glass Castle almost foreshadows the desirable life everyone hopes to have but just can’t reach it. It seems like every time the Walls are in a state of panic Rex Walls talks about the glass castle to brighten the tone of the story. At the end of the book Rex says, “never did build that glass castle. Those were some damn fine plans”(229). This is where he is about to die and he never did pursue his plans of the glass castle. But he always left the littlest bit of courage with Jeanette rather than anyone else because she counted on him. The title Glass Castle can’t always be looked at as an invention of a materialistic glass castle. It can also be said that the glass castle is metaphorical for a place to count on when life bites you in the back and a place when all else fails to keep you going.

                                                                                          Word Count: 339 words

Entry 3: Emotional Reaction

         Throughout this memoir Rex Walls, Jeanettes father is one of the main characters. I have grown very fond of him and his intelligence and gratitude toward his family. One part that stands out was when he is dying. At the end of the book Rex recites, "It's now or never. The fact is, I'm dying" (278). This really touches me because death is something really tough to deal with. The way Jeanette describes and records the conversation between her father and her really got to me. Throughout the pages 278-291 she describes her last words with her father. I have not luckily had to go through an emotional state like this but it hurts. The last words Jeanette Walls had with her father are the repetitive words "have I ever let you down" (279). This time Jeanette reacts differently then usually and just smiles. This is anaphora throughout the book, a phrase repeated and since she reacts differently it plays a significance. This significance is to set a tone of sorrow and finality. My reaction towards these few pages is honestly that is makes me upset and leaves me thinking what was it like for Jeanette? How did it feel to one day, after a few years come and find out your dad is dying? This part leaves me with some closing questions and sort of wishing that Jeanette could have expanded slightly of the last days with her father. Jeanette writes, "I had this crazy urge to scoop him up in my arms and charger through the doors- to check out Rex Walls- style one last time. Instead I took his hand.. An hour later, they turned the machines off" (280). My reaction towards this passage can't be written in words. I think that the way she puts together all of these ideas was perfect. These pages together rap up everything Walls talks about throughout the memoir and leaves a lasting remark.

                                                                                     Word Count: 323 words

Entry 2: Passage/ Quote Analysis

The quote “Do you think she ever did something to Dad like what she did to Brian”(148) holds a large significance to the story.  During this quote Jeanette is talking to her siblings about what happened to Brian by Erma. From what Jeanette saw it looked or appeared to be that Brian was being sexually harassed by their own grandma. This quote literally means, do you think Erma ever raped or sexually harassed Rex Walls like she did to Brian. This quote is also foreshadowing many events. It never made sense why Jeanette always talked about her grandma Smith but never her Dad’s family. This question hides a lot of underlying themes within it. If in fact Erma did sexually abuse Rex this could foreshadow why he has become an alcoholic because after such a traumatizing experience some people escape by drinking. This can also explain why Rex really didn’t want to leave Phoenix and wanted to stay as far away from Welch as possible.

            The importance of this quote is that is answers questions that were not answered beforehand. If Jeanette’s father was in fact raped by his own mother it gives him perfect reason to want to leave home so early and having such a bad addiction. Rex might also be so strict with the kids now because he takes it really seriously from a firsthand account and wants to be sure that the kids are telling the truth.  He doesn’t want to believe that it could be true what his mother has done. The quote and few sentences after it, all are part of Rex and his ideas. Jeanette realizes that maybe Lori’s right when she says “It’ll make you crazy”(148). Thinking about it and wanting to believe it makes it true and that in fact would make you crazy.

                                                                                       Word Count: 303 words

Entry !:
         Glass Castle has always been a book spoken about. I'm not the biggest reader so when people say, "Oh yeah, you should read it" I would think okay maybe soon. Now that its come to a point where I had the option of picking a book myself I thought that this could be a good chance to read this book. I didn't know much about the book but after reading a few reviews and the synopsis about it I thought that this would really interest me. My expectations for this book are significantly high considering many of my family and friends speak greatly of it. I'm hoping that I won't get to bored after just starting it but that I'm drawn into it and will want to keep reading. From the picture in the front of a little girl sort of whispering to someone else I feel like maybe this will either have some sort of connection to the book itself. I think maybe that this book will be filled with secrets or words unspoken. I know that Jeanette Walls has also written other books and has won awards for her "nothing short of spectacular" memoir and I'm longing it's everything its set out to be. From just flipping though the book the chapters seem to be short which I prefer personally because it makes me want to finish one chapter and go on to the next. The font is a little small which isn't my top choice but other then that the book looks incredible and really unique.

                                                                                        Word Count: 259 words