Figurative Language in ‘The Glass Castle’

Becoming successful requires hard work, but is putting in the hard work worth it? In the novel The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, the author is born into poverty and then grows to be an award-winning author proving that hard work results in success. A big role in Jeanette’s path in life and her view of the world is played by the people in her life. In addition, the conflicts throughout her childhood develop her into someone that pays more attention to herself and her mission of becoming successful. Lastly, Jean’s life takes her to numerous places, that provide her with new experiences which will lead to the decisions that guide her to a life of success. In The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, the author uses character, conflict, and setting to emphasize that determination, perseverance, and hard work are the key components that lead to success no matter the circumstance.

The characters in Jeanette’s life have a big influence on the decision that she makes, and on her view of the world because of the struggles that the characters give her; Jean becomes more empathetic as a result of this. The individuals in her life educate Jeanette that hard work will pay off and when she puts the effort in, she indeed finds success. One of the most important events that bring change in Jeanette’s life is when two filmmakers decide to go to Welch from New York and talk to her about how “[New York City] was a place of energy and creativity and intellectual stimulation” (Walls 222). The two men are the people who impact to make the decision of wanting to go to New York. The two men give her hope and inspiration that she needs to persevere to reach her aspirations: in addition, the inspiration causes her to work hard and become her best self. Another reason why Jeanette wants to go to New York is because of her terrible father. Jeannette’s dad’s drinking problem is so bad that he disappears from his family for days. This makes Jean believe he “would never be coming back [to the family]” (Walls 240). Moreover, the alcohol addiction causes Rex to be unable to support his children and for them to have a future. Jeanette knew if she stays with her father, she will not have a bright future; she has so many ambitions that are fading away because of him. Nevertheless, She becomes driven to work hard and concours all the goals she wants because of her alcoholic father. In conclusion, the people in Jeanette’s life have a big influence on her determination of doing whatever she needs to find her path to success.

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Throughout her entire childhood, Jeanette faces many struggles and she is put down many times, but because of this, she develops into someone strong enough to overcome any obstacles on her path to success. For example, Jeanette lives in a town called Welch where her father is deep into alcohol addiction, which makes him unable to provide for the needs of his children. Her father continually goes up to Jeanette when he wants money for cigarettes and beer, but in spite of the fact that Jean encompasses a tight budget for basic needs, she “has a soft spot for him the way no one else in the family does” (Walls 209). While Jeanette gives her father money often, she learns that she needs to prioritize her money and give it to the people who need it. If she did not learn this, she will starve herself and her brothers and sisters. In detail, her family issues motivate her to work hard and persevere so that one day she can take care of her loved ones. Secondly, in the city of Welch, there is a big divide between African Americans and Caucasian individuals. Many times, Jeanette gets into fights with her colleagues of different races, and “as [she] fought, they called [her] poor and ugly and dirty, and it was hard to argue the point” (Walls 140). When Jeanette was a child, she believes that every person is born equal, which shows that she has strong morals and ideals about racial conflict. By using her ideals, she changes one of her foes into a companion. These strong morals propel her to become a successful and determined individual. As of result of Jeanette’s struggles in life, she gains experiences and wisdom that transform her into someone capable of overcoming all obstacles to gain success.

Jean’s life takes her to numerous places, each of them having a new viewpoint of the world and at the same time providing new experiences that lead to the decisions that move her to a place of success. New York is the city that gives her the opportunities and tools that helps her to become successful. New York is a fascinating place for Jeanette, but the best thing for her “was that the opportunities would come so easily” (Walls 247). In the novel, New York represents hope and opportunities whereas Jeanette seizes these opportunities which gives her the chance to achieve her goals. She finally gets to achieve the goals that she desires so deeply beforehand. To emphasize, New York gives Jean all the tools that she needs to become successful and this keeps her determined to achieve all her dreams. A big part of Jeanette’s childhood is their high school years at Welch High. There, she discovers her vocation for journalism and a way she could make a difference by running “The Maroon Wave”, which was the school’s newspaper. Jeanette writes “so many of the articles that … [her] name appears four times on the front page” (Walls 232). Welch is filled with poverty and struggles, especially for Jeannette's family, but fortunately for Jean, she finds purpose and relief at school by reporting with “The Maroon Wave”. While working at the school newspaper: She envisions her future self working at a news station and sees a wonderful adulthood ahead of her. The high school gives her motivation to become a news reporter through “The Maroon Wave”; she gains the desire to work hard and persevere through the tough times, so she can achieve her goal. Each of the places that Jean lives in, helps her to grow, to find her passion in life, and to make the right decisions that lead her to success.

In The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, the author uses character, conflict, and setting to emphasize that the key components that lead to success no matter the circumstances are determination, perseverance, and hard work. The characters in Jeanette’s life influence her decisions, the conflict she has to deal with as a child gives her perseverance, and the setting gives her a new view of the world. This shows that anyone can become someone successful even if they had a terrible childhood, as long as they put in the time and effort.

Work Cited

1. Walls, Jeanette. The Glass Castle. Scribner, 2005.