Week 1: YA Novel SEL Theme

 The Glass Castle 

By Jeannette Walls

"To John, 

for convincing me that everyone who is 

interesting has a past"

    The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a memoir that recounts the author's unstable upbringing. This book explores themes such as poverty, family dynamics, resilience, and the pursuit of happiness and dreams. The author's storytelling highlights the strengths to overcome adversity. The book is divided into five sections highlighting different parts of the author's life story: "A Woman on the Street," "The Dessert," "Welch," "New York City," and finally "Thanksgiving." 

    

    A Woman on the Street: 

    The book begins with the author, Jeannette Walls, whose now a very successful New York City journalist, who spots her mother, Rose Mary, digging through a dumpster. Embarrassed, at the sight, she hides her face so her mother doesn't see her. This encounter stimulates Walls to reflect and look back on her childhood. 

    The Dessert: 

    The early years of the author's childhood can be characterized by constant movement as her family moves from one dessert town to the next, due to being on the run from debt collectors and law enforcement. Rex Walls, her father, is an intelligent man who is deeply flawed, whose an alcoholic, and presents false dreams to his family, including building a "glass castle" for his family. Her mother, Rose Mary, is an artist and a writer who values her art over her motherly responsibilities. Despite living in the constant chaos, Walls describes the family movements as pure adventure and sometimes joy, and her parents ideas of self-sufficiency and independence as Walls and her siblings had to figure out at an early age. 

    Welch: 

    The family eventually resides in Welch, West Virginia, where their living conditions literally deteriorate. They live in a run down, decaying house that does not have any indoor plumbing or electricity. Her father, Rex's drinking problem worsens, and her mother, Rose Mary, remains detached and completely focused in on her art. Walls, her siblings, Lori, Brian, and Maureen, are faced with hunger, bullying, and neglect but find alternative ways to support and take care of one another. Walls' desire to have a better life grows stronger as she saves money and looks into colleges to better her life. 

    New York City: 

    Determined to escape, Walls moves to New York City as soon as she is able to, where she is followed by her siblings. They each work hard, pursued an education, and gradually built stable lives for themselves, which they desperately craved and remained close to one another. Their parents, Rex and Rose Mary, eventually follow them to New York City where they remain homeless because they are unable to adapt to a more prevailing lifestyle.   

    Thanksgiving: 

    The memoir ends with a Thanksgiving dinner, symbolizing the family's enduring and loving bond despite their differences and past struggles. Everyone is older and her father has passed. Walls portrays her parents' influences on her own resilience and resourcefulness navigating through life without the support she should have received from both her parents, acknowledging both the pain and the gifts they imparted on her life despite her upbringing. 

In the Classroom: 

    With the permission of parents, this memoir would need to be used for high school students due to it's complex and mature themes and emotional intensity that would be too great for younger students to grasp. Since this memoir is a true story, it would make it more engaging for students providing an honest look at real-life issues. There are a couple of different strategies of how I would use the Glass Castle in the classroom. First, I would use the book to prompt a discussion on themes such as resilience, family, and the "American Dream." Then having students write an essay to relate these themes to their own lives and the society that we live in. Next, I would assign students to analyze the main characters, focusing on their development throughout the memoir. As well as comparing and contrasting the characters' approaches towards life's challenges. Finally, I would connect this story to other subjects such as history. For example, students could research the economic conditions of the time periods that is described throughout this book. To include a creative experience for students, I would also have them explore the role of art that took place in Rose Mary's life while creating their own art pieces that are inspired by this book specifically.