Lost Dreams: The Glass Castle One of the most important things that parents provide for their children is a stable background: a roof to sleep under, regular meals, and a sense of security. In fact, some turn to a faulty upbringing in order to explain violence, crime, drug abuse or general bad behavior in adult life. However, Jeannette Walls grew up with an alcoholic father and a shiftless mother, neither of whom provided for or protected their children. She was raised in a household where sufficient food was a rarity, traveling around from small town to small town, often living in conditions that to most would be unbearable; yet as an adult, she created a life for herself that she deems comfortable and stable. The Glass Castle is a stirring account of Walls’s childhood, her relationships with her family, and her ability to overcome all the hardships she was faced with.
Descending from difficult households, both my parents moved from Mexico to the United States in hopes to build better lives for my brother and I. Living alone in a foreign country has never been easy, however. My parents have built our lives from scratch with no outside family support. When I was young, my dad was always switching from menial job to menial job in hopes of find something better. My mom always helped out as best she could, at times selling coke and candy to neighbors, but her primary concern was always taking care of her children.
And while I had my toys and my friends around I still had to be responsible about doing my homework and wake up every morning and wear my clothes to go to school. I learned to do everything by myself and. Finally after one year my dad decided that we can go to see my mom. At the first time, I did not feel anything when I saw her because I could not remember her as a mom. This really hurt me as
E” and I remember immediately correcting her by saying, “I’m not a doctor; I’m a Nurse!”. My path was changed when I became a single mother at a young age. This meant working full-time and being with my children as much as possible couldn’t afford me the opportunity and luxury of going to nursing school. Now my daughters are grown and its time to follow my dream. I was never really encouraged to attempt to make my dreams a reality.
The new bicycle is soon forgotten when they move across the country, once again creating disappointment. Jeanette always needed a reason for doing things, unless her parents told her otherwise. She was maturing “I had always wanted a watch…that was the kind of person I wanted to be” (Walls 216). This shows her need for practicality or reasoning and her plans for the future and where she stands in level of maturity. Her mother brings home a piano, but there is no room for it in the house.
She had been receiving letters from her ex-husband saying "How are you and the boys? Bet they’re getting big," (1, Medicine River). The clear absence of the father has caused Rose to become independent and have to raise her children by herself, as well as support her kids with no financial aid from a husband, an uncommon front for a woman in a time where men dominated. In addition to the independence and self-reliance of Bertha and Rose, Louise, a female who lives in Medicine River with Will, possesses these same characteristics. She has found a way to succeed at a job in a time when it occurs very seldomly for women.
Awkward silence, she is quiet… Not even when all my friends have abandoned the places they grew up in. I have to stay in Maycomb. Them children would run wild without my guidance. Every family needs a helping hand, Mr. Atticus especially. Although their still young, I aint even know who’s teaching who at the lessons here, I know I’m the authority figure for them when Mr. Atticus is gone, and without me who knows how them children would be acting.
She grew up with her aunt – Mrs. Reed, along with her 3 cousins – John, Eliza, and Georgina. Jane never was shown any affection by any of the Reed family members; they all hated her. Eventually Jane expressed her need for love to Mrs. Reed, “You think that I have no feelings, and that I can do without one bit of kindness; but I cannot live so: and you have no pity” (Bronte 41). Jane was forced to be independent since she was a child. Her strength only grew as she was locked in the Red Room by her aunt.
They are in a period of time where women has very little say in what takes place in their household or even in their town. It is a time where men have total control of their families. Mary for one lived with her father whom had the impression that no man was ever good enough for his daughter. She lives a very sheltered life; therefore, Mary ends up alone and in some ways unaware of how to survive in the real world. With this limited knowledge and experience, after her father
The person in my family who stood out the most was my mother. Her father died when she was an infant so my grandmother had to go to work, leaving my mother and her two siblings alone. She spoke only Spanish, which made it difficult for her to want to stay in school. My mother ended up with only a third grade education and she never learned how to read. She was able to function well in life, making purchases at stores.