The Glass Castle


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  1. From day one, Jeannette was faced with danger. At three she burned herself on a grill and upon arriving at the hospital a few weeks later her father Rex took her from the hospital unexpectedly so he would not have to pay for her medical expenses. In addition because of the family's financial situation, authorities from the government were constantly trying to track the family down. Since the government was normally hot on their trail especially when the family got themselves into dangerous situations, the Walls were often forced to relocate. Her father Rex was often struggling with his dependence on alcohol and would often destroy the inside of their house. However, Jeannette learned an important lesson from her father's alcoholism, she learned what road she didn't want to follow and traveled a road of her own. In doing so, Jeannette was able to rise above her parent's poverty without forgetting her own past.

    Neither of Jeannette's parents ever claimed the responsibility of raising their children and this caused Jeannette and her siblings to explore and discover life for themselves. In addition, the parents seemed to not care about feeding their children and thought that not eating was just part of their daily adventures. In some cases, the situation got so dire that Jeannette had to scavenge food out of dumpsters in places like Phoenix.

    The most significant danger that Jeannette faced throughout the book was resisting the temptation of falling into her parent's position. She saw it when her mother went away for the summer while she was left in charge of the family. People like her father pressured her greatly and it made her realize just how hard her mother's life was. What are your opinions on the danger Jeannette faced and the eventual success she had once she moved to New York City? Any other thoughts?

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    1. I completely agree. Despite the lack of good parenting Jeannette found her way into the business of newspapers and reporters. You could say that once she moved away from Welch, away from her parents, that was really when her "spark" hit her and she became successful. But through the bumpy road of her childhood, she still managed to pick up some important lessons from her parents. Like her mother Jeannette was an optimist, while still being realistic. From her father, she learned to become independent, responsible, and a hard-worker. She was able to defend herself, and her family. Overall, Jeannette turned her life around and became very successful.

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    2. I think Jeannette used the dangers of her past to help fuel her future. She knew what it was like to be poor and have to scavenge for food, or to just go hungry. It wasn't the life she wanted for herself, so when working towards bettering her life, she could always remember what she was working hard to avoid.

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