Literary devices in the glass castle by jeannette walls. Literary Analysis: "The Glass Castle" By Jeannette Walls: Free Essay Example, 1510 words 2022-12-11
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The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a poignant and powerful memoir that tells the story of the author's tumultuous childhood growing up in poverty with parents who were often unable or unwilling to provide for their basic needs. Throughout the book, Walls employs a variety of literary devices to convey the emotions, experiences, and lessons she learned during this challenging time.
One literary device that Walls frequently uses in The Glass Castle is imagery. She paints vivid pictures of the places and people she encountered throughout her childhood, from the dilapidated trailer in West Virginia where she spent her early years, to the deserts of Arizona where her family eventually settled. For example, she describes the trailer as being "dark and cramped, with a smell of mildew and old frying oil" (Walls, 2006, p. 9). This imagery helps the reader to feel as though they are right there with Walls, experiencing the same sights and smells that she did.
Another literary device that Walls employs in The Glass Castle is symbolism. Throughout the book, she uses symbols to represent the different themes and ideas that she explores. For instance, the glass castle of the title is a symbol of her father's dream of building a grand home that would provide the family with a comfortable and stable life. However, as the years pass and the family's circumstances remain precarious, the glass castle becomes a symbol of their unfulfilled hopes and desires.
Walls also uses foreshadowing in The Glass Castle to hint at the challenges and hardships that lie ahead for her and her family. For example, early in the book, she describes how her father always insisted on living in the most remote and isolated locations, even though this often meant going without basic amenities like electricity and running water. This foreshadows the many difficulties that the family would face in the future, as they struggled to make ends meet and find a place to call home.
In conclusion, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a beautifully written and deeply moving memoir that employs a variety of literary devices to convey the author's experiences and emotions. From the vivid imagery and symbolism to the use of foreshadowing, these devices help to bring the story to life and make it a powerful and memorable reading experience.
The Glass Castle: Jeannette Walls
What is the overall theme of the novel? Jeannette confronts him and rather then getting an actual conversation, he assaults her. His love is what brought her through all the rough times. In the memoir, The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls she described the events in her childhood which lead her to become independent at a very young age, made an effort to make the most of the education offered to her, and learned to appreciate what she had. Being the second oldest she holds some authority when her parents are not present. The first person point of view from Jeannette influences the events because you see how crazy things actually are. Being forced to move off the beach the family, mostly the mother and father, decided to move back to the desert for their hunt for gold.
When Walls enters high school, she uses an anecdote to prove how it was her education that allowed her to go from proofreader of the school paper to editor-in-chief quicker than anyone else had before. Mom finds the prospect of getting something for free tempting enough to change her opinion. Theme 4 Nonconformity Whether it is of an individual or of the whole family, nonconformity is not accepted in a society or a family. They still refuse to sell it twenty years later when the parents are homeless in New York City. Closer to Jeannette than to Lori, he plays with her and takes part in outdoor Character 6 Maureen Walls Maureen Walls is the youngest among the Walls, who misses the enjoyment of adventures and does not develop much. Towards the middle of the novel, she calls her father out on his lies and acts much more realistic.
On the road, they sleep under the stars in the desert. In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, the main characters mirror one another in several ways. Unlike other memoirs, Walls does not write this story in a self-pitying tone. In some cases, the book equates responsibility with self-sufficiency, as Mom and Dad encourage Jeannette and her siblings to look out for themselves rather than rely on anyone else. Despite a difficult upbringing, she perseveres through her adversity and becomes the successful journalist that she is today.
Literary Analysis Of The Glass Castle By Jeannette Walls
Throughout her life there have been many struggles including her own father, Rex Walls, the finicial instability their family faces together, and the bullies Jeannette must face alone. He ends up drinking again after his wife convinces him to join her back on the streets being homeless again. One of its themes is that strength and perseverance can significantly improve your chance at success and your future. Walls gives the reader hard-to-read tales of growing up, acting as a parent figure to her younger siblings due to neglect, and trying to keep the family financially stable. The author, Jeannette Walls, uses Rex and Mary Walls to demonstrate that their strong traits of non-conformity, self-sufficiency and perseverance are passed on to their children, allowing them to develop to their full potential. Liesel immediately gravitated to the calm air surrounding Hans.
A Literary Review of The Glass Castle, a Book by Jeannette Walls Free Essay Example
Her parents, while intelligent and insightful, choose to condemn their family to a nomadic lifestyle wandering the deserts of America. Living with her depressed mother who weeps and sobs about her struggles in her teaching job, her alcoholic gambling father who, on a daily basis, would not arrive home, and her two sisters, Lori and Maureen and brother, Brian. In New York, all of the children have jobs but the parents still would rather sit around and do nothing as they live with rats. Jeannette senses his abusive nature and avoids him in future confrontations. Growing up poor was already difficult, but growing up with a selfish parent, specifically an unfeeling mom, made life hell for the Walls children. In one scene, Jeannette and the family go to a water hole to go swimming. You should learn to enjoy the comic episodes a little more.
Literary Techniques In The Glass Castle By Jeannette Walls
In her life, she experiences intervals of hard times, followed by peaceful times. The children end up putting more work into it then their parents and move away to New York when it literally starts to fall apart on them. Though this success has led her to a state of happiness, she still feels deeply for her parents due to them still struggling and being homeless, and communicates her feelings through this memoir. Having misfit parents, Jeannette and her 3 siblings were often independent and left to fend for themselves and for the family as a whole. Rose gives birth to a baby girl they named after their late daughter, Maureen. Although Walls's childhood gushes with heartbreaking tales of searching through dumpsters for food, she remains as unbitter as possible and instead views her youth in an almost comical light. She is embarrassed to see her mom picking through the trash during the first sentence not because they were forced to be homeless but decided to be homeless for no reason.
Literary Techniques In The Glass Castle By Jeannette Wells
While her parents we doing their own task, she was cooking her own hot dogs and caught on fire. After losing all of these emotionally wrecking things Liesel learns and understands she needs to keep going forward. Rex keeps driving while Jeannette is sitting on the side of the road wondering if they will ever come back for her picking pebbles out of her face. Although she does not take part in outdoor Character 5 Brian Walls Falling at number three among his siblings, Brian Walls is the male member who is significant on account of his masculine role with his sisters. This eventuality is not a vast improvement. Everytime Rex Walls gets in trouble, he regains the faith of his family by telling them that they are going to build the Glass Castle. In many ways the Joshua tree also represents Walls herself.
At the beginning of the novel, Jeannette is very naive. Jeanette then calls her mother and asks to have dinner with her. The kids wear hand-me-down clothes, often have little food, and sometimes have to sleep under the stars but they somehow make it through together as a family. After being old enough to make her own decisions she decided to move away from her parents and grow from her scars. Jeannette captivates the readers by using rhetorical devices. At times in the story, Brian is more of a father to her then Rex.
The Glass Castle By Jeanette Walls: Literary Analysis
The most crucial literary device to take note of is how The Glass Castle doubles as both the title and an extended metaphor. Despite a difficult upbringing, she perseveres through her adversity and becomes the successful journalist that she is today. Jeanette opens up to her mother about being embarrassed and passing her up in the streets. In Welch, they have the option to get welfare and food stamps but their parents always refuse the charity. The kids get tired of all the disappointments and save up money little by little and move to New York. The overall theme of family is introduced during the first sentence of the book.
