The Glass Castle (150-230)

Summary

Poverty is the worst form of violence. This quote was made by Gandhi to while he was explained his doctrine on esteemed

 This quote is put here because as of now in the book, the decision, actions that are made are because the family is poor. The book is split up into 5 different parts, part 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 just like the book To Kill a Mocking Bird.   She divides the book into section because she wants the reader to see how her life differs from the places that they use to live or the place they currently are living.

 Pg 150-227

In part 4 the kids and their parent move to Welch and they are living in a house with no indoor plumbing, they do not bath everyday and they lack food from time to time. They parent think that this is good they raised the children in a way that they have endure with whatever they had. Mom quotes "because this is not a house for the faint of heart" (Walls 150).  Lori said that she did not believe that one day she would get to like in a house like this and when they asked Rex when they were going to move to a nice home, he replies "this is home now” (Walls 154). Her mom compliments that the kids are ungrateful because they do not appreciate what they got. She stated that kids in Ethiopia would die for this house. The house had bad architect, the wire were naked, they were patches in the ceiling so that whenever it rained, the house would have unwanted amount of water. The father even commented on how bad the place was “Helen Keller must have wired this damned house” (Walls 153) .They ate in the same place with rats. He father begins to plan the foundation for the glass castle.

             To provide for clothes, the kid had to sew them even if it can out coming raggy. Because there was no indoor plumbing in their new house and because they were poor, they had to put their dirt and trash in the foundation that they were supposes to use to build the glass castle. There is a foreshadowing that they may never but the house. Living in this house does not suit Jeannette so she begins to paint the house for it to be stylish but she does not feel appreciated by her family who says negative things about her painting the house. In school, a kid tries to make her to join the Junior Ku Klux Khan group. Although they are poor, parent refuses to take welfare. “Life’s too short to worry about what other people think about you” (Walls 157).  They are so poor that have to scrap out maggot form their food before they ate it. The book gives descriptive imagery of how Jeannette looks. They made fun of her because she was really skinny. “They called me spider legs, skeleton girl, pipe cleaner, two by four and stick woman” (Walls 173). The story is similar to Indian education, other children throw their food in the trash and she picks them and eats them.

           Traumatic Violence is seen when the oldest son of the Grady begins to practice his shooting at her and her brother as they run for their life. This section also provides separation of class; they only people who live in this neighborhood are poor. Either their parent had not job or one parent was missing. Jeannette is very similar to Scout, she is tomboyish and prefers to fight and pay with boys than hang out with girls. Their grandma Erma dies and mom thinks that she committed suicide. She forces the kid to kiss Erma’s corpse. She describes it “Kiss Erma’s cheek so vigorously that you could hear the puckering sound throughout the chapel” (Walls 180). The kids  sing that the wicked witch is  dead , the father gets angry and  say “ You make me ashamed”  (Walls 181).  A situational irony is seen in the book, they kids are supposed to fend for themselves; they take on the traditional adult roles. The mother gives Jeannette money and she has to take care of the family. While the parent act like children, the father is a drunk who goes out and drinks till he passes out and the mother is caught eating candy under the bed. The voice of the older Jeannette speaks to her mother why she acts foolishly and like a kid and she get beaten by her dad. In other s the parents don't care about the kids.

          There is bit of foreshadowing in the book. Jeannette's takes her to the club and when she orders soda he gives her beer letting other guys know that she is available. After a guy tries to sleep with her in the club, she tells Rex and he didn't seem concern. Kid decides to move to New York City.

Qoutes

     “Sexual assault was a crime of perception" (Walls 184). Jeannette mother said this to her after uncle Stanley starts to touch her thighs and later on he unzips his pants. She starts to feel sorry for Stanley   saying he was lonely instead of feeling bad for Jeannette

Reaction.

     There is a sense that the parent do not like being parents, they do not seem to mind that the children are suffering. They only are about themselves. The mother once said that the family was stopping her from achieving her dream of being an artist. The father does not care that he would build the glass castle that he promises his daughter.

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