The Glass Castle is a memoir written by Jeanette Walls in 2005. It depicts factually and vividly her unique life from early childhood through a family Thanksgiving reunion that occurred many years later in Virginia. In 2017, the book was adapted into a major motion picture. Personally, it is one of the very few books I couldn’t put down because of the storyline. The characters’ actions did indeed catch my emotions, but their always-on-the-move lifestyle forced me to set those intense feelings aside and move on.
 
As an intelligent, dad’s-favorite girl, Jeanette has a few qualities more memorable than those of her siblings, which partially explains why, though sister Lori was closer to their parents, she was the fundamental leader within the family. It was her idea to eventually move the siblings to New York City, away from their indulgent and irresponsible parents. Also, on many occasions, it was she who prevented their father from continuing to ruin the status quo, as much as that was possible. Though the father had a concept – in fact a very thoroughly considered, applicable blueprint – of the Glass Castle, he never truly realized it. In the back of the Little Hobart Street house where her dad showed young Jeanette the blueprints, implying that she should assist with the execution of his Glass Castle fantasy, she acknowledged the scheme but dismissed it, considering it to be a trickery to let her stay; she had seen through her dad, but at that moment couldn’t tolerate the thought of pitying him. In her view, the parents were jealous that they, as grownups far more capable then a few young children, couldn’t achieve their dream. However, the truth was that Jeanette’s actions forever affected the family’s future, flipping it upside down. Without her seemingly brutal rejection of her father, the Walls family might still be living their violent and stressful life in the beaten-up Welch hovel.
 
Parents should more or less be considered as one person, as they share the common responsibility of bringing up their children and ushering them into adulthood. The Walls never achieved financial stability, and even worse, they constantly moved from location to location, providing the children virtually no stable environment and forcing them to adapt too often. As toddlers, their first steps should be protected, though not completely disconnected from the exterior world. It is of critical importance for parents to comprehend that, despite their incredible potential, kids are indeed undeveloped, and to some extent share similarities with aging humans. Common sense instructs us not to bring a 1926 Bentley Speed Six to the inhospitable Paris-to-Dakar race, and thus so should it compel Rex and Rose Mary Walls to remain in one place. Adventure is undoubtedly intriguing and assists development, but an overdose of adventure amounts to forcing children into situations they cannot manage. Adding to this is the fact that Rex indulged in vodka and whiskey, and Rose Mary seemed glued to the canvas and palette, so the kids were completely exposed to the world, which would affect them for life. Fortunately for them, their parents’ philosophy of always following natural tendencies, no matter how turbulent, erected impregnable walls of resiliency. Logically speaking, the fact that they did not fall apart emotionally cannot be accepted as a miracle, as they were brought up with certain survival skills. Most obviously, they were taught to recoil when pressured, allowing them to struggle continuously until a breakthrough was found. In the end, however successful the Walls’ offspring eventually became, the fact remains that their parents did not execute their roles well. Their selfishness, and possibly simply a lack of capability to unite a family, failed them. They never gave up on dreams obviously unachievable, and visions too vague. And thus, to some extent, they are, in fact, the most tragic characters in the novel.
 
As Rex moved on with the family’s lousy daily existence, he kept trying but failing to provide what the children, especially Jeanette, actually required. His vision for the family was abundant and inspiring but impractical. He had plans of using the Prospector to find gold or develop a method of burning coal more efficiently but these were never accomplished; he’d stop in his tracks and become drunk instead. Thus, a cycle began: he had some awareness of his technological advancement, but unable to act on it, turning again and again to alcohol. As he sank into this pattern, his great visions sank with it. And thus, isn’t Rex Walls more or less similar to his Prospector, a great treasure that was never truly appreciated or used to full advantage? Essentially, he created a clone of himself in the form of a gold-mining apparatus. Don’t his plans share many characteristics with gold-mining and his incomplete, ultimate vision, the Glass Castle itself? Both are brittle and bright, as was his plan for the children. Gold-mining may bring one riches, but it could never be guaranteed. The gold miners in 1850s California were nearly all poor until their deaths, and rolled into early graves. An imagined Glass Castle allowed light to pour in, and nature to flourish, but could not protect the residents. Thus, this novel is, in a fundamental sense, a tragedy. At its core, it revealed the woe and gloom of each and every character’s life.
 
Despite the lack of ponderous and profound language, the story itself is very conducive to intense contemplation. It introduces readers to new concepts of poverty, and rarely seen visions of what life in rural villages is really like. The novel’s descriptions of poverty, especially, linger in readers’ minds, forcing them to reflect on society and what can and should be done to help those affected in this way. What should governments actually do, if anything? Is the goal simply to bring people to wealth? Possibly, the perfect government should allow its citizens to reach their destiny, instead of simply deleting poverty from the vocabulary. Although they professed to loving a nomadic lifestyle, Jeanette’s parents comprehended, deep down, that this approach would not get them anywhere. How should politicians intervene in such situations? There are many who are destitute because they see no hope of achieving their dreams, just like the Walls parents. A nation where everyone realizes their destiny will seem to be the most powerful one, as its leaders will sincerely realize that it is not substantial riches that shape their people, but their realization of fundamental dreams.