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Symbolism, imagery, and characterization are used to show the decay of parenting as shown in The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. To be considered a bad parent; a person lacks emotional and physical appearance to a child, to express a feeling of absence.
Bad Parenting is the act of not showing the responsibilities that should be taken as a mother or father. In The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls reveals the faults of parenting through the use of symbolism, imagery, and characterization. Rosemary and Rex struggle to show their children the importance of the appearance and guidance of being by their side as a parent. Rosemary and Rex show their faults by destroying everything the children try to accomplish because of their personal bad habits.
Again, the danger of parenting is depicted through Walls’ use of symbolism. Jeannette being a child and having to cook and take care of herself is substandard. Having to be surrounded by hardship and struggle, she always thought that there was no value but she expresses disturbing emotion and says “Ugh, she said, she disapproves of chewing gum, she went on. It was disgusting low-class habit and the nurse should have consulted her before encouraging me in such vulgar behavior”(12). Jeanette's childhood is largely defined by poverty and a lack of responsibility and worth. Rosemary and Rex should be cooking for their children and taking responsibility. Their ability to show or represent bad parenting captures the reader's attention by emphasizing the struggle and lack of value Jeannette goes through.
Furthermore, the fault of parenting is illustrated through Walls's use of imagery. With no limits or boundaries, Walls is thrown into a big body of water without knowing how to swim. Rex and Rosemary have a sense of doing it by themselves or not at all asserting “But the Hot Pot didn’t have any that edges like that swimming pool. There was nothing to cling to. I waded up on my shoulders. The water above my chest is warm and the rocks I was standing on felt so hot. Dad who watched me unsmiling “You’re going to learn today”(65). Rex, throws Jeanette in water with no edges, knowing she can’t swim. He puts Jeannette in a live-or-die situation. Rex shows the faults of parenting because the parents have no regard on Jeannette’s safety or life and Wall states, ”You’re going to learn today’ declaring “Dad pried my fingers from around his neck and pushed me away. My arms flailed around and I sank into the hot smelly water. Water surged in my nose and down my throat. My lungs burned He pulled back and did it again” (65-66). Putting a child in a dangerous situation to show them a lesson shows bad parenting. Rex and Rosemary cause the reader to reflect on their lack of responsibility as a parent so that they can understand from both sides of the view of the poverty situation.
Finally, Jeanette shows the faults of Rex’s and Rosemary’s parenting through Walls's use of characterization. For example, When “Lori heard about a scholarship sponsored by a literary society for the student with the best work of art. Dad came home drunk” and “Studied the sculpture. Then suddenly reached over and smeared off Shakespeare mouth with his thumb”(226-227). Rex destroys Lori's project and thus her way to get a scholarship and get out of Welch. This characterizes Rex as selfish which represents being a bad dad because he is always trying to do stuff for himself rather than see the reality of him preventing Lori from going to college. Lori, trying to earn a scholarship for a work of art, was destroyed by her dad, Rex who was drunk. Rex shows a fault in parenting by destroying one of her accomplishments to get her out of poverty and struggle. Later on, Walls writes” I began looking through all the junk in the bedroom and finally found oz (piggy bank) on the floor. Someone had slashed it apart with a knife and stolen all the money[...] I knew it was dad[...] so he let the crumpled money fall to the floor”( 228-229). Walls exposes Rex as a thief who steals from their own daughter. Rex being characterized as a thief clarifies his faults of parenting by expressing his way of treating himself and not his kids. Through characterization, Jeanette depicts Rex as a selfish drunk who will sabotage his children's attempts to get out of Welch and build a life for themselves in order to satisfy his own needs.
Therefore, symbolism, imagery, and characterization are used to show the decay of parenting as shown in The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. To be considered a bad parent; a person lacks emotional and physical appearance to a child, to express a feeling of absence.
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