Final Reflection

                After reading The Glass Castle I feel as if I have gained some knowledge of the way families interact and how these interactions impact our lives. Jeannette Walls tells her story so that other people can understand her background, not to pity her hardships. She sees the positive effect her childhood had on her character and is proud. The memoir forces the reader to look past the poverty, hunger, and pain the Walls kids endured and instead see the moments that stayed in their minds as adults. Walls remembers the good times-when her father gave her Venus as her Christmas present or when they would draw out the blueprints for the Glass Castle-rather than dwelling on the gloomy days. This is what makes the book so easy to read. The author’s compassion and devotion holds the reader until the end.

              The Glass Castle is the kind of story that you hope you’ll understand and when you do, you realize you’ve experienced a strong connection to the author. In my Initial Impression entry, I expressed the possibility that I would connect to Jeannette Walls. Surprisingly, I did feel like there were similarities between the way Walls grew up and the way I did. While Walls obviously lived in a more extreme household, I saw so much of my mother in Rex Walls, her father. His idea that one should embrace life fearlessly and understand the world around them is a constant in my home.

              Most of my initial ideas about the book were off, though. I thought I’d be hearing about how hungry they were, or how cold it was, but instead I read the other side of an unfortunate childhood. Walls only expanded on the parts that were memorable to her, which happened to be when she was happiest. This is probably why the novel was more impactful than previously read memoirs. Elie Wiesel’s Night and Art Spiegelman’s Maus depicted only the terrifying realities of the Holocaust. It’s understandable because there weren't a lot of joyful times to write about, but that is the main reason why The Glass Castle stands out. Overall, The Glass Castle gave insight into the value of life, love, and family. The resilience and openness that Walls expressed prove to create a truly inspiring story.