Essay Sample: Jeannettes Survival Qualities In The Glass Castle

📌Category: Books, The Glass Castle
📌Words: 453
📌Pages: 2
📌Published: 25 June 2021

In The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls, Jeannette shows many characteristics which help her through her difficult childhood. Jeannette’s qualities, which she earned because of her situation, helped her get through her tough childhood. A few of these attributes are responsibility, determination, and rationality. 

Jeannette is very responsible, which helped her through her  tough childhood. One example is when she asked her Dad if, “[he] could maybe stop drinking[.]’” (Walls 116). This shows how she was responsible because she knew that Rex’ drinking was causing problems with their family, so she faced her fear and told him to stop drinking. Another example is when she forced Mary Rose to get a job. They were poorer than usual at the time, and Jeannette was trying to take charity, but Mary Rose wouldn’t let her, so she said, “‘[i]f we’re not charity cases, then get a job.’” (Walls 188). She shows responsibility here because she knows that if they want things to get better, some things have to be done, like Mary Rose getting a job.

Her determination let her persevere when things got rough, like when she started to save her money in a piggy bank. An example of her determination is when she tried to spruce up the house. Rex came home with a can of yellow paint, but no one wanted to help her paint, so she “undertook the job [her]self.” (Walls 154-155). This shows her determination, because she is determined to spruce up their house and even though no one wants to help, she still starts to paint. Another example is when she made her own braces. Since braces cost too much for her family to afford, “[she] had to make [[her] own.” (Walls 202). This shows her determination because she wanted braces, and went through the trial and error required to make her own until they worked.

She has a rationality that lets her see how bad their situation was  when they were in Welch. One example of this is when she told her Mom that she “[had] to leave Dad,” because he was the main reason that they were so poor.  This shows her rationality because she realizes that Dad is a serious problem to them, and even though she loves him, she realizes that they would be better off without him. Another example is when she realized that she was “going to get out of Welch.” (Walls 221). This shows her rationality because she realizes how bad things are there, and that she has to get out even if she has to leave her family behind.

Jeannette shows many qualities that help her through her childhood. She shows a responsibility that allowed her to do what needed to be done. A determination that let her persevere through it. And a rationality that let her realize what needed to be done. These characteristics were a major part of how she got through her childhood.

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