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The Glass Castle
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The Glass Castle (2005) (edit title/settings)

by Jeannette Walls (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

Jeannette Walls's father always called her "Mountain Goat," and there's perhaps no more apt a nickname for a girl who navigated a sheer and towering cliff of childhood both daily and stoically. In THE GLASS CASTLE, Walls chronicles her upbringing at the hands of eccentric, nomadic parents:... read more

Summary edit see section history

People are apt to generalize why people live the way they do, especially when it is below the acceptable level deemed civilized. Jeannette Walls draws a picture of the way she grew up with her siblings in constantly changing locations that ranged from living in cars to a shack considered low... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

People are apt to generalize why people live the way they do, especially when it is below the acceptable level deemed civilized. Jeannette Walls draws a picture of the way she grew up with her siblings in constantly changing locations that ranged from living in cars to a shack considered low life and dilapidated, even in the hills of W. Virginia. The children had little to no food much of the time learning to fend for themselves. Their parents were hooked on adventure and put them on "the skedaddle" when they couldn't/wouldn't pay their bills, were wanted by the police or possibly child welfare. The parents possessed intelligent minds attempting to raise their children with values. Unfortunately, their views of the world may have started well but then became skewed. Mom would relinquish the well being of the children for the needs of the alcoholic father. Was the mother mentally ill? Would the children have been better off in the foster care system? Or is this a look as to why the court system attempts to keep families together? Even when it is hard to understand why!

The children in this book learned to survive in an environment that was, in no way conducive to life. The things these kids went through are horrible and unthinkable. It makes my heart bleed to know that there are children out there who may be living this same sort of life.

People edit see section history

  • Rex Walls: Rex Walls is Jeannette's father. He can be a great and fun dad, teaching his children and showing them things that others cannot see. But when he is drinking, he comes home and ruins everything that they earn. Jeannette and her siblings struggle to cope with their alcoholic dad, who is taking away their hard earned money and putting them in uncomfortable situations.
  • Rose Mary Walls: Rose had a dream to be an artist, but always blamed the family for her failure as an artist. Rose did not believe in any sort of rules concerning her children, and as she was constantly unable to take control of her husband or finances, her contribution to the family's well-being was never very significant.
  • Brian: The third oldest sibling of the Walls family. Brian is kind and courageous, and was most often Jeannette's fellow adventurer/playmate as a child.
  • Lori: The oldest sibling of the Walls children. She is very intelligent and much like her mother, a very good artist.
  • Lilly Ruth Maureen: The youngest sibling of the Walls children, Maureen had movie-star quality looks; long, blonde hair and big blue eyes. She spent much of her time at other family's houses, avoiding her own.
  • Erma Ruth: Rex Walls' mother who lived in Welch. She's a hard-bitten woman who had a tough life. A nasty old woman.
  • Grandma Smith: Jeannette's grandmother on her mother's side. She's very rich, but doesn't get along with Rex Walls. This grandma doesn't approve with the ways Rose is raising her children and running her life.
  • Mr. Becker: Owns a jewelry shop. He is Jeanette's boss for part of the story.
  • Lucy Jo Rose: Teacher who drives Jeannette's mother to school every morning. She is a chain smoker and is always very rude to their family.
  • Jeanette Bivens: Rex Walls' favorite teacher who had faith in him. Jeannette is named after her because of this. Later Jeannette gets Miss Bivens as her journalism teacher.
  • Uncle Stanley: Rex's brother, Uncle Stanley is portrayed as the epitome of a hillbilly. Outwardly, Stanley is friendly, but not very bright. He also has an absurd love for comic books.
  • Bertha Whitefoot: Add a description of this character.
  • Buster
  • Ken Fink
  • Mr. Armstrong
  • Miss Katona
  • Billy Deel
  • Bob Gross
  • Ernie Goad
  • Miss Beatty
  • Evan
  • Mountain Goat
  • Carla
  • Robbie
  • Eric
  • Kenny Hall
  • Mrs. Sanders
  • Carrie Mae Blankenship
  • Rufus
  • Mike Armstrong
  • Ginnie Sue Pastor
  • Fuchs
  • Quixote
  • Mr. Freeman
  • Dinitia Hewitt
  • Grandpa Smith
  • Uncle Jim
  • Veronica
  • Mary Charlene
  • Francie Nolan
  • Kathy
Show all 41 characters
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Quotes edit see section history

  • “"No one expected you to amount to much."”
    Jeanette's mom
  • “"And it's a little on the rustic side." "How rustic?" Lori asked. Mom paused. I could see her debating how to phrase her answer. "It doesn't have indoor plumbing."”
  • “"Things usually work out in the end." "What if they don't?" "That just means you haven't come to the end yet."”
    Mom
  • “"One thing about whoring, it puts a chicken on the table!"”
    Jeanette Walls
  • “"we did the Skeddadle again"”
    Jeanette Walls
  • “"Mom told us we would have to go shoplifting."Isn't that a sin?" I asked Mom."Not exactly," Mom said. "God doesn't mind you bending the rules a little if you have a good reason. It's sort of like justifiable homicide. This is justifiable pilfering.""”
  • “The next day she had blisters the length of her thighs. "Just remember," Mom said after examining the blisters. "what doesn't kill you will make you stronger.""If that was true, I'd be Hercules by now," Lori said.”
  • “We laughed about all the kids who believed in the Santa myth and got nothing for Christmas but a bunch of cheap plastic toys. "Years from now, when all the junk they got is broken and long forgotten," Dad said, "you'll still have your stars."”
  • “We quickly learned that whenever we ventured into the kitchen, we needed to wrap our hands in the driest socks or rags we could find. If we got a shock, we'd announce it to everyone else, sort of like giving a weather report. "Big jolt from touching the stove today," we'd say, "Wear extra rags."”
  • “"Just then we took a sharp turn over some railroad tracks, the door flew open, and I tumbled out of the car...I waited for what seemed like a long time before I decided it was possible Mom and Dad might not come back for me. They might not notice I was missing. They might decide that it wasn't worth the drive back to retrieve me."”
    Jeannette Walls

Setting & Locations edit see section history

  • Phoenix, Arizona: After moving from place to place throughout Jeannette's life, the Walls family finally has a real house in Phoenix on North Third Street.
  • Welch, West Virginia: The Walls family moves to West Virginia to get help from Rex's family and end up living there the longest of any other place they've been.They live on 93 Little Hobart Street
  • New York City: The kids and parents eventually all end up living in New York City.
  • Midland: One home of the Wall's where they move so that Rosemary can paint a Joshua tree.
  • Blythe, California: The Walls had an apartment here after Midland
  • Battle Mountain, Nevada: An old mining town where the family goes to prospect after Blythe. They lived there over a year and it is one of the first places Jeannette feels at home.Green lantern and Owl Club are associated with this town.
  • San Francisco: Places that the Walls stayed in briefly
  • Las Vegas

First Sentence edit see section history

I was sitting in a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting through a Dumpster.

Table of Contents edit see section history

I. A Woman on the Street
II. The Desert
III. Welch
IV. New York City
V. Thanksgiving

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

  • Inspirational Family Saga: Jeannette's parents are constantly going on about letting their children make their own mistakes and learning for themselves. Well, they do, and 3 out of 4 of them grow up to become successful, but eventually their parents grow more dependent on their children to take care of them, not getting jobs and eventually becoming completely homeless.
  • The Glass Castle: The hopeless dream Walls' father promised.
  • Nurture: It is difficult for the reader to determine whether or not Walls's parents are to blame for a poor upbringing or praise for raising an independent, innovative children.

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 74 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2010). (authoritative list)
This is book 73 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2011). (authoritative list)
This is book 72 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2011). (authoritative list)
This is book 19 of 20 in New York Times Bestsellers - Paperback Nonfiction (Current). (authoritative list)
This is book 71 of 194 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2010). (authoritative list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Jeannette Walls (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Scribner
Country: USA
Publication Date: 2005
ISBN: 978-0-7432-4753-5
Page Count: 288

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: HV5132 .W35 2005
  • Dewey: 362.82092

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
  • Dry.
  • A Wolf at the Table
  • Daughter of the Queen of Sheba: A Memoir
  • The Butterfly Garden
  • Informally Educated
  • Come Here
  • Miss America by Day

Books That Cite This Book edit see section history

   
  • Connecting Young Adults And Libraries

Books Cited by This Book edit see section history

   
  • A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

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