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The Glass Castle SparkNotes Literature Guide SparkNotes Literature Guide Series

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**The Glass Castle** by Jeannette Walls is a memoir of her unconventional upbringing. Walls and her three siblings grew up in poverty, often living in dilapidated houses or even homeless. Their parents were alcoholics and often abusive. Despite the challenges she faced, Walls went on to become a successful writer. The Glass Castle is a powerful and moving story that explores the complexities of family and the resilience of the human spirit.

The Glass Castle SparkNotes Literature Guide (SparkNotes Literature Guide Series)

by SparkNotes

4 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	2544 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	112 pages

This SparkNotes Literature Guide provides a comprehensive summary and analysis of the book, as well as essays, quizzes, and discussion questions.

Summary

The Glass Castle tells the story of Jeannette Walls' childhood. Walls and her three siblings grew up in a nomadic family, living in poverty and often homeless. Their parents were alcoholics and often abusive. Despite the challenges she faced, Walls went on to become a successful writer.

The book begins with Walls' family living in a dilapidated house in Welch, West Virginia. Walls' father, Rex, is an alcoholic and a dreamer. He is constantly coming up with new schemes to make money, but they never seem to work out. Walls' mother, Rose Mary, is also an alcoholic. She is a talented artist, but she is unable to hold down a job. Walls and her siblings are often left to fend for themselves.

As the Walls family moves from one town to another, they live in a variety of dilapidated houses and even homeless shelters. Walls and her siblings are often hungry and cold. They are also subjected to physical and emotional abuse from their parents.

Despite the challenges she faces, Walls is a bright and determined child. She learns to read at a young age and she develops a love of learning. She also begins to write stories and poems.

As Walls gets older, she begins to realize that her parents are not going to change. She decides to leave home and make a better life for herself. She moves to New York City and attends Barnard College. She eventually becomes a successful writer.

Analysis

The Glass Castle is a powerful and moving memoir that explores the complexities of family and the resilience of the human spirit. Walls' story is both heartbreaking and inspiring. It is a story of survival and triumph.

One of the most striking things about The Glass Castle is Walls' honesty. She does not shy away from the difficult details of her childhood. She writes about her parents' alcoholism, her own hunger and homelessness, and the physical and emotional abuse she suffered. However, Walls also writes about the love she has for her parents and the resilience of her siblings.

The Glass Castle is a complex and nuanced work of literature. It is a story that will stay with you long after you finish reading it.

Essays

The Importance of Family
The Power of Resilience
The Complexity of Abuse
The Search for Home
The Importance of Education

Quizzes

Chapter 1 Quiz
Chapter 2 Quiz
Chapter 3 Quiz
Chapter 4 Quiz
Chapter 5 Quiz

Discussion Questions

What are the strengths and weaknesses of Jeannette Walls' parents?
How does Walls' childhood affect her as an adult?
What is the significance of the glass castle?
What are the themes of The Glass Castle?
How does The Glass Castle compare to other memoirs you have read?

About the Author

Jeannette Walls is an American memoirist and journalist. She is the author of The Glass Castle (2005),which was a New York Times bestseller and was adapted into a film in 2017. Walls has also written several other books, including Half Broke Horses (2009) and The Silver Star (2013).

Walls was born in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1960. She grew up in a nomadic family and lived in poverty for much of her childhood. Walls eventually went on to attend Barnard College and Columbia University. She worked as a journalist for several years before publishing her first book, The Glass Castle.

Walls is a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Autobiography. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

The Glass Castle SparkNotes Literature Guide (SparkNotes Literature Guide Series)

by SparkNotes

4 out of 5