The Glass Castle (Pgs 3-50)

Summary

In the exposition, Jeannette intorduces her family and thier lifestyle. Her father, when sober, is an intelligent man who teaches and amazes his children at the same time. When he drinks, he's one of the scariest people Jeannette and her siblings have to deal with. Jeannette's mother loved art and called herself an "excitement addict". She felt that cooking dinner for the family would only fill them for a while, while art could last forever. Lori, Jeannette's older sister, and Brian, Jeannette's younger brother, were tough kids. Their parents let them do things on their own and they learned from their own mistakes. When Jeannette was only three years old, she was badly burned because her nother let her cook her own hotdogs. After six weeks of being in the hospital, Jeannett's dad decides to check her out "Rex style". After getting chased down by nurses, they hop in the car where their family is waiting and drive off. They end up leaving the city and becoming nomads, going from place to place in desert like areas.

Quote

"Once he finished the Prospector and we struck it rich, he'd start work on our Glass Castle" (Walls 25).

Reaction

Jeannette, and her siblings really admire their father. They think he is a genious and his inventions are intersting. He created the Prospector to help them find gold to become rich. After they struck rich, they would begin to build their Glass Castle. The Glass Castle was yet to be his best project. "It would have a glass ceiling and thick glass walls with thick glass staircases. The Glass Castle would have solar cells on the top that would catch the sun's rays and convert them into electricity for heating and cooling and running appliances with its own water-purification system." (Walls 25). I feel this quote really relates to the story beacuse it lets me know where the name comes from. Their glass castle is a place they can stay and live as a fanily together. A place where they feel comfortable and safe. A place where no one could disturb them and they could do what they wanted. The Glass Castle is their dream home.