“Hard work is better than talent when talent doesn't work hard”: it is a saying that is applicable to many situations, but Jeanette’s story confirms the truth behind this statement. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls is a memoir about her family, and how being impoverished as a child can lead someone to grow into a more complete person; Jeanette becomes successful by taking control of her life and making it into something she can be proud of. The conflict puts Jeanette through very difficult experiences, but as a result, society and her family makes Jean realize that she needs to become independent and start her journey to prosperity. Throughout her life, Jeanette encounters many characters which shape her into the person she is. Thus, these characters create experiences for Jeanette that she can learn from; she develops from a person that takes care of others to one that focuses on her own priorities. At last, the setting that Jeanette must live in makes her realize that there is no future for her unless she changes her goals and makes them a reality. In The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, the author uses literary elements to emphasize that hard work, determination, and perseverance are the key factors that lead in success no matter the situation, which is seen throughout the story of Jeanette.
The conflict present in Jeanette’s life puts her through extremely hard moments when she is beaten down, but as a result, she learns and grows into a person that focuses on herself and her own success. For instance, Jeanette lives in Welch where her mother renews her teaching degree and Jean’s father is lost in his alcoholism, so they cannot provide for their children. Her dad constantly confronts Jeanette because he desires money for beer and cigarettes, but even though she has a tight budget for food, she “has a soft spot for him the way no one else in the family does” (Walls 209). Although most of the time Jeanette gives money to her father, she learns a lesson and finds her priorities and values; if not, she would starve herself and her siblings. This situation makes her discover her moral beliefs and ideals, and eventually she starts planning her way out, rather than staying with her family in Welch. In Welch, there is a racial separation between African Americans and Caucasian people. When Jeanette enrolls into school, she meets an African American girl named Dinitia, who leads a group of girls that constantly bullies her for being Caucasian and destitute. She fights back the bullies, but “as she fought, they called her poor and ugly and dirty, and it was hard to argue the point”. As a child, Jeanette believes that everybody was born equal, but that did not stop the group of African American girls to assault Jeanette everyday for weeks. Jeanette evaluates the situation and realizes that when living in a divided area ruled by violence it is best to find a way to avoid it. By acting in kindness, she transforms her enemy into a friend. It is significant, because the conflict makes her think about herself and how she can escape and find success and safety. In conclusion, the conflicts that surrounds Jeanette’s childhood transforms her from someone that did everything to help her family, to someone who can focus on her own goals.
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Furthermore, the characters present throughout Jeanette’s life have an impact on her perspective on the world. The people in her life teach Jeanette that hard work will pay off and when effort is spilling from the heart, the journey to success begins. One of the first life-changing experience happens when Jeanette is in high school, and two film makers from New York City come to visit Lori and Jean. The film makers tell the Walls’ sisters that: “New York City was a place of energy and creativity and intellectual stimulation” . These two men are the entire reason that Jeanette and Lori went to New York in the first place, which is a very significant place in their life. The girls decide they would rather move to New York trusting the two men’s word then stay in Welch where violence, poverty, and drug abuse surrounds the neighborhoods. One of the reasons why Jeanette went to New York to start her independent life was her dad. While sober, he was the perfect father, but while drunk, he caused the family poverty and starvation, and there was no way they could be happy. At one point, his drinking causes him to disappear from the Walls, so Jean thinks he “would never be coming back to the family”. Jeanette is everything to her father, she is his favourite child, but he can not overcome his addiction which results in Jean having no choice but to leave the family. This is significant, because although Jeanette loves her father, she wants nothing more than to leave the family and to put this part of her life behind. To conclude, Jeanette’s experiences with the people in her life form her character and are a deciding factor in her determination to go to New York and focus on her own success.
To finish, Jeanette life takes her to many places, each of them giving her a new perspective of the world and the learning experiences she needs to be able to make the decisions that propels her to success. New York was a very attractive place for Jeanette, but the greatest benefit for her “was that the opportunities would come so easily”. She lands a job at a burger joint on her very first day of coming to New York, and later she becomes a full-time reporter in a matter of weeks. Everything in New York gives Jeanette an oportunity to grow and become successful; the setting is a perfect for Jeanette to collect herself and to take control of her life. She always has a positive outlook and works hard, so that one day she can wake up to a morning without the troubles of her past. A big part of Jeanette’s childhood is the time when she attends Welch High school; there, she realizes that she needs a purpose, so she takes up The Maroon Wave, the school newspaper. Jeanette wrote “so many of the articles that … [her] name appears four times on the front page”. Welch is a place of poverty and despair for the Walls’s family; however, Jeanette fills that hole with her work on The Maroon Wave. Jeanette discovers her passion which leads her to becoming a successful reporter and author. Therefore, the settings in Jeanette’s life gives her the experience and wisdom to make the proper decisions to push her life forward.
Through the usage of literary elements, The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls presents the case that hard work, determination and perseverance leads to success. ever-present conflicts in Jeanette’s life: she goes through the constant battles with society and her family, but these experiences help her make the decision to change her life into someone she is proud of. The second literary element is character, the people in Jeanette’s life each have an impact; she takes these experiences and learns that in order to be successful, she needs to focus on herself. To finish, the setting brings Jeanette a new way to look at the world, and every new place gives her the knowledge and wisdom to set personal goals, which propels Jeanette into the right path. We know now that the settings, characters and conflicts in Jeanette’s life have a major contribution on her success, but could she have done it without her tale
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