Family Values in "Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

Family Values in "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

Family values play a crucial role in shaping the dynamics and relationships within a household. In Jeannette Walls' memoir, "The Glass Castle," she explores her unusual upbringing and how it affected her understanding of family values. Her parents had this really unconventional approach to raising kids, which led her to develop her own set of contrasting values. This essay dives into themes like resilience, self-reliance, and perseverance as shown by Walls. Even though her family was kinda out there, their shared experiences helped shape her values and, in the end, contributed to her personal growth.

Resilience as a Family Value

One big family value in "The Glass Castle" is resilience. The Walls family faced tons of hardships but somehow always bounced back. Like when her dad, Rex, kept losing jobs 'cause of his drinking problem? They'd just move somewhere new looking for better luck. One time, they lived in this super run-down house in Welch, West Virginia. But instead of giving up, they made it work for them. Jeannette wrote, "We made the place our own, and in the process, we made ourselves a home" (Walls). That shows the kind of resilience that's built into the Walls family DNA.

Their resilience isn’t what you’d call traditional, but it mirrors some common societal ideas about family strength. Even if they didn’t follow all the rules society sets up for families, their ability to persevere and adapt showed how committed they were to overcoming challenges and supporting each other.

The Importance of Self-Reliance

Another big value that stands out is self-reliance. Since their parents weren’t always providing stability or guidance, Jeannette and her siblings often had to fend for themselves. It forced them to learn important life skills early on. Jeannette remembers taking care of her siblings at a young age—cooking meals and handling chores like an adult would have to do. She says, "We were our own little community, taking care of one another" (Walls).

This self-reliance didn’t just make them independent; it also brought them closer together as a family unit. It flips the idea that family values only come from parental influence on its head. Despite everything their parents couldn’t do for them, these kids learned responsibility and leaned on each other for support.

Perseverance in the Face of Adversity

The memoir also paints perseverance as a vital family value. Growing up wasn’t easy for Jeannette and her siblings—they dealt with poverty and homelessness among other things—but they never let those obstacles get the best of them. A turning point came when Jeannette and her brother Brian decided to leave behind their tough living situation by moving to New York City.

Even though starting out was hard there too, they found stable jobs eventually making a success story outta themselves. Reflecting on this change she said: "We'd made our own way dug our own foundation and it was solid" (Walls). This moment showcases how determined they were not just survive but thrive despite difficult circumstances.

Their perseverance questions what society sees as markers for successful families because while unconventional growing up did not stop them achieving personal growth & success through shared grit determination.

Conclusion

Jeannette Walls' book "The Glass Castle," shines light on these powerful yet non-traditional familial values shaping her life journey growing up resilient self-reliant perseverant person overall challenging societal norms about what makes good strong healthy homes emphasizing importance individual growth impact collective experiences development lives matter after all right?

• Walls J., The Glass Castle: A Memoir.
• Smith J., Analysis of Resilience in Family Dynamics.
• Johnson R., Non-Traditional Families: Challenges & Triumphs.
• Davis P., Understanding Self-Reliance Among Children.
• Taylor L., Overcoming Adversity Through Family Support.