Glass Castle

Neb

English

6 March 2008

Glass Castle

A little girl gives her trust in her father to guide her as she grows up; not fully understanding what impact it will have later on. In the memoir “The Glass Castle,” Jeannette Walls reveals a deep and complex relationship with her father Rex Walls that deals with addiction, disappointment, and vulnerability. From the get go, emotions for the father are negative and filled with animosity from the reader, yet Jeannette maintains an admirable childlike faith in him. She stands up for Rex when no one else will. Rex Walls has a special charm that makes him appealing, but only when he’s sober; which is a rare occurrence. Throughout Wall’s story there are numerous circumstances where Rex tramples over Jeannette’s trust, and in-between this there are the more substantial events that trigger a greater change in her perception. Never to consider back talking or doubting her father’s integrity, Jeannette later on struggles to hold on to that idea. Faith and trust is a constant uphill battle between Jeannette and her delusive father. She wants, and sometimes needs to see Rex as a reliable role model that won’t let her down, but slowly as she grows older she reluctantly acknowledges Rex’s inability to stay sober and be trusted. Eventually Jeannette’s reliance in him runs out and she is forced to become independent to save herself.

One of the first times Jeannette sees how deceptive her father can be is during a traumatic scene where Rex teaches her how to swim in a way most kids wouldn’t. When Rex sees that Jeannette is clinging to the side of the spring hole he instinctively decides to teach her how to swim, like any father would do when seeing their child struggle. Unfortunately for Jeannette, her father has a rather aggressive way of teaching; by throwing her into the water so that she is forced to learn. “’Sink or swim!’ he called out. I sank. […] I kick and flailed my way to the surface and reached out to Dad. But he pulled back, and I didn’t feel his hands around me until I’d sunk one more time“(Walls 66). Walls mixes high tension in this scene with details such as; hair being tangled around her face, and the burning of sulfur infused water in her lungs and eyes. This tension exhibits her desperate need for help from her father, only to soon rationalize that her father is the catalyst in her fight for air. “He did it again and again, until the realization that he was rescuing me only to throw me back into the water took hold, and so, rather than reaching for Dad’s hands, I tried to get away from them”(Walls 66). Jeannette sees for the first time that the only way she’ll be able to survive or “swim” on her own, in a literal and metaphorical sense, is by getting away from her father’s reach. Grabbing his arms again and again was her trust that he would save her, and after a certain number of attempts her faith in Rex faded and she forced herself to learn to swim to get away. This uphill fight and currently built up anger in Jeannette at her dad levels off after Rex explains his reasoning for what he did. “…you can’t cling to the side your whole life […] �If you don’t want to sink, you better figure out how to swim.’ What other reason would possibly make him do this? Once I got my breath back, I figured he must be right. There was no other way to explain it” (Walls 66). Rex’s rationalization is not wrong, in fact it valuable lesson for a child to hear after learning how to swim. But his approach to teaching her was cruel and also gave a reflection of how he treats Jeannette throughout the book. Jeannette sympathizes with his justification, even though she might feel that she now understands how insensitive and ruthless her father can be, she nonetheless copes with this comprehension by accepting his explanation for what he did. Jeannette loves her father and At Jeannette’s young age she still needs to hold her trust in Rex, and although upset about how she was treated, her love for him continues.

Years pass, and the Walls family now occupy Welch, West Virginia. Jeannette, shedding hardships along the way, is now thirteen years old and taking up more responsibilities. With her mom gone renewing her teaching degree and Rex disappeared, as usual, Jeannette takes the responsibility of caring for her brother and sister during the summer with her low paying job. With money tight and with a chance to prove that “dad could be managed” Rex shows up to borrow some cash. Rex, using his charm, worked Jeannette for the money, and she later proclaimed, “He knew I had a soft spot for him the way no one else in the family