While working hard on my ISU, I found myself listening to Another Day In Paradise from Phil Collins. I found that this song relates well to Jeanette's relation with her mother and her perception of being homeless. At the  beginning of Jeanette's memoir, Jeanette is anxious that she may be overdressed for a party she will be attending. In her taxi, she sees her mother digging through a dumpster on the hunt for food. Jeanette becomes ashamed that her mother is digging through dumpsters and living on the streets while Jeanette has a glamorous life, "living in paradise" .

How Phil Collins is describing the homeless woman is upsetting. Jeanette and the rest of society see living on the streets as hardships whereas Rose Mary is overjoyed at the simplicity and adventurist life she is fulfilling. Her mother  is happy with her life and that is what Jeanette needs to understand. Jeanette attempt to "help" her by buying her a house and offering her money, but Jeanette needs to learn to accept her mother for who she is.

Throughout Jeanette's memoir, Jeanette never talked about her younger sister Maureen. Maureen was born during the families crises  and never really knew life besides the hardships faced in Welsh. Unlike the other Walls children, Maureen didn't turn out all right and it wasn't until I fully reflected that I realized why. The Walls children spent many years in the desert before Maureen was born, there, Rex and Rose Mary did a good job in educating their children to be top of  the class and boosted them all to have good self esteem. during the Walls life in the desert, Rex made their skedaddling seem like an adventure, Rex would spend time with their children and wasn't always so drunk. But once the family moved to Welsh, The Walls family seemed more dysfunctional than ever. Rex's drinking took a plunge, Jeanette, Lori and Brian were old enough to fend for themselves and learnt to dig through trash cans, and baby Maureen seemed to be forgotten and got no attention. I think that by the time Rose Mary had Maureen, she was just too tired to do the whole parenting thing over again and never gave Jeanette the attention she needed or provide any emotional support. Maureen never had those loving memories Jeanette had at the zoo, or on Christmas, all she had was an alcoholic father and a lazy mother that wouldn't provide financially, emotionally or any stability for her.
Maureen turned to others in the community for support, she was raised by middle class families in the community that pitied her. Maureen was a beautiful child with blue eyes and blonde hair that captured the whole communities attention. She would eat at her friends house whenever she could, sleepover and get clothes donations from her wealthier friends. Unlike the other Walls children, Maureen never learnt to be self sufficient and independent  because the community made it their mission to raise her.
Jeanette recounts memories of regret in how Maureen was raised. "At times I felt like I was failing Maureen, like I wasn't keeping my promise that I'd protect her-the promise I'd made to her when I held her on the way home from the hospital after she'd been born. I couldn't get her what she needed most-hot baths, a warm bed, steaming bowls of Cream of Wheat before school in the morning-but I tried to do little things"(Walls 206). Jeanette's guilt caught up with her and the rest of the Walls children decided to take her in once they all moved to New York. Maureen was only 12 when she moved to New York to live with her siblings, a had a chance to live a life where there was stability. Not long after Maureen's completion of high school, Rex and Rose Mary Walls move to New York, After wearing out their welcome at their children's apartment, Rose and Rex leave to live on the street and take Maureen with her. I think that it was Maureen's lack of independence growing up that caused Rose Mary to kick her out of their "home" (abandon apartment) and triggered her emotional break down.  

After reading the glass castle, I was under the impression that Rex's promise was left broken because he never built the castle. But after stumbling upon an Interview with Jeanette Walls, I may have been wrong.
When asked Would your father have ever been capable of building the glass castle? Jeanette replies that  he did build it. It wasn’t a physical structure, but rather a dream: the hope of a better life.

That brought me back to Rex's original promise, Rex wanted to build the glass castle to provide his children with stability. Live in a house that would be cost efficient, where you can see the stars and have balance in life, and a place where peace and serenity was welcomed.

I know understand that The glass could symbolize lost dreams because the physical structure was never built, if you look at it from another perspective, what Rex's dream was this whole time was not the physical structure but the lifestyle that came with it. Rex's dream did come true and he did in fact  fulfill his promise because he was dreaming for a better life for his children's future.

Despite Rex living in a fantasy world, I know see that Rex created those blueprints, not because he thought the physical structure would become realistic but to teach his children to have hopes and dreams even when they are going through hardships and all seems hopeless. I think Rex's dream of the glass castle got them through the hard times growing up and that it helped distract them from the realities of how bad their situation was.

After all, Rex's dream of the glass castle did come true and all the Walls children accomplished there dreams. Lori became a well known artist in New York City, Jeanette fulfilled her dream as a Journalist and an award winning author, Brian became a police officer and Maureen moved to California like she always wanted too.

In the Glass Castle, Jeanette recounts memories of hardship and struggle but never really condemns her parents for the years of neglect. While chatting with my mom,  she is struck my Rose Mary's selfishness and disproves of her parenting style. My mom's disapproval got me thinking, should Jeanette's parents be condemn for the years of neglect their children endured?

While both parents allowed the neglect to take place in believing it would teach them independence and self sufficiency, their unconventional way of parenting caused both physical and emotion harm to their children's well being. Although Rex has made mistakes while raising his children , I don't think that Rex needs condemning. Rose Mary on the other hand, I would condemn for her selfishness and for exposing her children to an environments otherwise preventable with some motherly concern for her children's well being.

Rex, Jeanette's father suffers from alcoholism, a mental disorder resulting in compulsive behavior due to an alcohol dependency. His drinking habits were triggered after the death of the Walls  second child Mary Charlene who died in her crib at 9 months. Although tabooed in the Walls family, Jeanette hints that Mary Charlene died from neglect, while Rose Mary was seemed unaffected by the death of her child, Rex grief spiraled down into depression and alcoholism. I think that Rose Mary needs condemning for the death of her baby Mary Charlene. As much as Rose Mary believes in self sufficiency, at 9 months, her neglect is so despicable and unheard of.

Secondly, Rex, the main provider in the family worked hard hours despite his mental illness. He quit drinking many times for the kids and put in the effort to sober up regardless if he succeeded or not. Rose Mary, on the contrary was lazy and nothing but her stubborn will to be a self proclaimed artist stood between her and her ability to provide for her family. Rose's mother had forced her to go to school and she had gone to university and received her teacher's degree. Rose should be condemned for refusing to get a job and provide some financial security in times of crises, is was only when things got desperate that she decided to get a job as a teacher, and even then she put up a struggle to go to work like a toddler having a tantrum. Rose keeping her job was dependent on the Walls children  waking her up, forcing her out of bed, feeding her, arranging a ride to and from work in addition to grading the students work, creating lesson plans and cleaning her classroom

Rex, Despite he's broken promises, instills hope and ambition in Jeanette's head. From a young age, she is told that she is special and will go far in life if she puts her mind to it. Despite Rex's drinking, Rex shows his love to his children when he is sober and through his actions. His effort in making Christmas joyful by gifting them stars, how he looks at the family's hardship as adventure to entertain the children, the visit to the zoo etc. Rex shows his unconditional love for Jeanette when he expresses his pride near the end of her memoir. She recalls him saying  "I’m goddamn proud of you Mountain Goat, the way you turned out. Whenever I think of you, I figure I must have done something right” (Walls 279). Rex's ultimate sign of his love to Jeanette is when he saves up a thousand dollars to pay for Jeanette's last year at university. A thousand dollars saved up must have taken a lot of self control and shows his love because he put her as priority and didn't spend his money on drinking.

I believe that Rose Mary should be condemned for being selfish. Rose Mary would be put in charge of budgeting and never left any money for food on the table. The Walls children would go to school hungry and would often rely on finding food out of the trash to eat their one meal of the day. During those hard times, Rose Mary was aware of her children's sufferings yet she would secretly budget her own food desires as an expense. Jeanette recalls catching her mom eating a chocolate bar, while the rest of the family had empty stomachs. “Lying on the mattress next to Mom was one of those huge family-sized Hershey Chocolate bars, the shiny silver wrapper pulled back and torn away” (Walls 174).

Rose Mary should also be condemned for damaging her children's mental well being and exposing her children to a unhealthy environment. While in Welsh, Jeanette tells her mom that her uncle Stanley had sexually molested her. After hearing such a statement, most mothers would be frantic and seeking some help for their child's well being in addition to confronting the issue and putting an end to such an event ever occurring again. Rose Mary, showed how careless she was towards her children and told her not to be a drama queen. She explains to her child that “sexual assault was a crime of perception” (Walls 184) and wasn't a big deal. To a young child, Rose Mary's statement could harm her child's well being and cause disturbed ideas of what is right and wrong to form in in her head and may later on affect her relationship with others along her life.

In conclusion, Despite Rex's bad parenting decision, it is evident that he truly loves his children and it is shown through his actions thought the memoir. Rose Mary however should be condemn for neglecting her children, refusing to provide financial stability and not putting end to an abusive environment that she had control over and harming her childs mental well-being.

The environment you are raised in helps shape you identity, but to what extent?
Jeanette Walls was raised in a loving yet neglectful home. Her father was manipulative, an alcoholic and an abuser, Rose Mary, Jeanette's mother gave lazy a knew definition, her "Laissez Faire" parenting style was brought to an extreme and in essence the Walls Children learnt the hard way on how to thrive on neglect. 

Rex taught her children to be fighters, to fight for what's right and that you don't always need to  conform with the social norm. Rex's teaching of fighting and non conforming is evident in Jeanette's childhood. When Billy Deel tried to rape her, Jeanette and her siblings took manner into their own hands and started shooting at Billy with their father's pistol the way he taught her. Billy ran away and instead of being confronted and punished for her action, her father praises her for defending herself. But  Jeanette's fighting days seem to have faded since childhood. I think that Jeanette understands now that the values and lessons that she was taught growing up are more suggestions than the fundamental bricks that build  her identity.

Growing up, Jeanette hardship and neglect did  help shape however, Jeanette's perpective of materialism and her independence. Jeanette grew up surrounded by poverty, while others may have had fancy gifts for Christmas, Rex gave her a star. Stars symbolizes his love for her and she learnt that it's the love that counts and not the gift. Jeanette also was shaped to be non materialistic because every time she had to Skedaddle from town to town, she had no choice but to leave everything behind. Jeanette's independence to leave home at such a young age and live with her older sister would be a big jump in independence for most eighteen year olds, but for Jeanette is was an escape. Jeanette's mother shaped her to be independent, self- sufficient and very mature. When Jeanette was a pre adolescent she was fending for herself, searching through trash cans to feed herself, taking care of her mothers work so she wouldn't be fired and keeping her grade up for scholarships and much more. Despite the hardship and neglect that was placed on her by her family, is was them that shaped her to be independent, hard working and grateful for all she has.

This quotation is significant because it gives readers a look into Rose Mary's view of Jeanette. Rose Mary is stating that she had no faith that her daughter would amount  to much and that Jeanette had shocked her, I believe that it was her mother's view of her of not "amounting to much" that drove her to be so ambitious and lead a successful life as a journalist and an award winning author.

This quotation is significant because it not only gives us insight into Rex's emotion but it demonstrates how Jeanette was embarrassed to be classified as poor by other people in society. Jeanette kept her rough childhood a secret to the world until she finally understood it was nothing to be ashamed of. In this passage, the Walls family car broke down while skedaddling and the family had no choice but to hitch hike rides all the way to phoenix. This quotation makes Jeanette's insecurities about what others think  about her family more evident. Even at a young age she felt that she needed to defend her family's financial state so others wouldn't judge her for being poor. Rex's emotional state is also noted in this quotation. Although he tried to hide it, and act unaffected, this passage shows us that Rex does feel the burden his financial situation had created and may be why he continues drinking to mask the pain and guilt he feels.

This quotation is significant because it gives us a glimpse in Rex's personality. Rex is always living in a dream fantasy world  where he makes promises he can't keep. Rex always found a way to give everyone hope while skedaddling, he had his plans to get rich and build his dream glass castle. Whenever the family was down he would take out the blueprints and together the Walls children could help him work on the blueprints. Although the glass castle never happened, it could rather symbolize lost dreams or hope when things were hard.

This quotation signifies Jeanette's ambition to escape from Welsh and get away from her parents. She wants to start her own life and is ready to be fully independent. Despite Jeanette's loyalty to her parents, she know that if she ever wants to lead a different lifestyle then her parents, she would have to leave Welsh. Jeannette dreams of going to New York so she can truly express herself, be happier and take the steps necessary to make her dream of being a journalist, a reality.