Only 16 percent of children who grew up impoverished manage to become economically successful adults, and of that 16 percent is Jeannette Walls (Ratcliffe 7). Jeannette Walls’ memoir, “The Glass Castle,” retells the story of Jeannette’s atypical childhood spent in persistent poverty and a constant state of neglect brought about by her flawed parents’ alternative lifestyle. The remarkable thing about her life is that although her parents were inattentive and careless, Jeannette was able to escape the cycle of poverty and tell the world her story. Thus, growing up with neglectful, irresponsible, and careless parents teaches one to be resilient and independent.
Obstacles, especially during the formative years of childhood, are opportunities for children to grow in flexibility and resilience. Jeannette, Lori, and Brian Walls lived with dysfunctional parents that forced them to constantly adapt and change with their circumstances and environment. The Walls children pool together when times are tough as a result of their parents’ laziness. Their efforts to make their parents appear as functional human beings to the outside world causes the children to learn what it is like to be an adult. This reversal of role is most clear when the children urge Rosemary, their mother, to get a job as a teacher. After a while, the principal threatened to fire her because she was simply unreliable. Jeannette explains the situation as she thinks back, “Mrs. Beatty threatened to fire Mom, so Lori, Brian, and I started helping Mom with her school work” (Walls 74). In order to ensure some sort of job stability within the family, Jeannette took charge of making sure Rosemary kept her job. The Walls children go as far as taking on the role to feed, clothe, and organize transportation to and from the school for Rosemary. Additionally, they also cleaned her classroom, graded her assignments, and created the lesson plan for the day. By being an irresponsible and carefree mother, Rosemary unknowingly handed her children the realities the world holds for an employable adult.
Rex, Jeannette’s father, and Rosemary’s persistent neglect towards their children’s safety needs are most evident in Jeannette’s childhood. When Jeannette was only 3 years old, she severely burned herself while boiling hotdogs. While in the hospital, the nurses question her as to why she was hot dogs all by herself, and Jeannette simply responds, “Mom says I’m mature and lets me cook for myself a lot” (Walls 11). Due to Rosemary’s irresponsible mothering and inability to care for her children, Jeannette knew at three years old to look after herself because if she wanted to eat, she had better learn to be independent. Only a few years later did Jeannette have to relearn her lesson on independence. When Jeannette lived in the desert, Rex wanted to teach his daughter how to swim. His careless method, however, included letting her struggle, nearly drowning, then stating, “If you don’t want to sink, you better figure out how to swim” (Walls 66). This method proves Rex and Rosemary’s reckless and irresponsible approach to parenting was what ultimately taught their kids to sustain themselves in order to survive.
Jeannette’s parents had many flaws, but they get one message clearly across to Jeannette: Irresponsible and neglectful parents empower children to overcome the obstacles of their upbringing and become resilient, independent adults. It is because she knew she had no other choice than to accept and combat her familial situation that Jeannette Walls was able to be a part of the 16 percent of children that achieve success.
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