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The Glass Castle triumphs as motivational memoir

August 11, 2008

By Lexi Muir
<lmuir@hilite.org>

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a compelling story of a beautiful young girl in a not so beautiful childhood. Jeannette grew up with parents whose ideals and lifestyles were both damaging to their children and astounding to those on the outside looking in. The nonconformity of the way they lived was both fascinating and frustrating to read about, but despite the hard lives of the children of the Walls family, most of the children grew up and became successful adults, giving hope to all with damaged families, pasts and lives.

Rex and Mary Rose and their four children began living their lives as nomads, running from one place to another and living in many unusual places like the desert and the mountains. The children’s father, Rex, was wonderful and witty and taught the children much about life through his stories…when he was sober. As a drunk, however, he proved to be a dishonest and vicious man. The mother, Mary Rose, hated the responsibility that came with raising a family and left the children to look out and fend for themselves.

After their money ran out, however, the Walls family life took a turn for the worst. Rex spent most of his time stealing, lying and drinking while trying to escape from the life that he led. This led the children to protect themselves, both from the outside world and the rage of their drunken father. Finally finding the courage to leave home, the children, one by one, made the best for themselves out of the worst situation possible.

The story in this novel is shocking. The courage of the children is inspirational. What is most moving, however, is the affectionate and compassionate way Walls writes about her parents. Leading the children into lives of abuse, neglect and downright fear shows the Walls parents in the worst light possible. It is Walls’ compassion, however, that allows the reader to still feel a sense of love and kindness from the parents. Quite possibly the most moving and emotional part of the story was that at the end of the novel. Even after reading of his drunken rages and his periods of abandonment, the reader can truly see that Rex loved Jeannette more than anything in the world and would do absolutely anything for her.

The Glass Castle is extremely well-written, and is the most inspirational and moving novel that I have ever read. I found myself holding back tears of sadness, joy and awe through the last hundred pages. At the end of the novel, as Walls reflects on her life, she writes about her father, her experiences and her childhood with a beauty and eloquence than no one would have expected from someone with a past like hers. She wrote her story asking for nothing in return: no self-pity and no sympathy. She instead only asks for an open mind and open ears. It is through her struggles and her astounding achievements that people today are able to escape their pasts and look for a brighter future.

Updated by mjiang · Filed Under Entertainment 

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