Analysis Of Children In The Glass Castle By Jeannette Walls

Poverty in America is something that has been around for a while, and it is not surprising to hear that a certain percentage of children live in low-income families. According to an article on nccp.org “More than 16 million children in the United States – 22% of all children – live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level – $23,550 a year for a family of four. Research shows that, on average, families need an income of about twice that level to cover basic expenses. Using this standard, 45% of children live in low-income families.” Poverty experienced during childhood has a negative impact on the child’s emotional and physical health as well as the family’s. For the Walls’ Children in The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, they …show more content…
By this I mean, children who grow up being considered poor or low-income, such as the Walls’ kids, have problems determining what emotions they are feeling and why. These emotions can range from anxiety, depression, and low self esteem, and develop when the child experiences stress early in life. Stress from poverty can evolve from not having adequate food and shelter, or social insecurities at school. According to the research published on Bloomberg.com “The stress of poverty may affect regions in a child’s brain that control emotion.” For Jeannette Walls, Hunger and taking on the role as the responsible one in the family were large contributions to her stress. She also desperately fished food out of the garbage cans at school numerous times. Jeannette attempted to manage the little income they had to purchase food, meanwhile her alcoholic father would constantly ask her for booze money not taking into consideration that it would leave them to starve. All of this stress at such a young age negatively affected her . Her self esteem was also very low; she often times referred to herself as ugly and skinny. Overall, growing up in poverty altogether has negative effects on a child's emotions because experiencing so much stress early in life leads to difficulty regulating emotions such as depression, low self-esteem, and …show more content…
In other words, it is difficult for youth who live their childhood in poverty to commit to goals and responsibilities. These problems are a result of lack of resources while living in poverty. Which prevents them from attaining educational goals once they reach adulthood. Children that grow up in poverty lack commitment to education. This is commonly because the child does not have the vital resources needed to succeed or because of lack of social communication at school. According to a study by Goretti Horgan “ How most children experience school is determined by the level of disadvantage they face. Poorer children in the study accepted that they were not going to get the same quality of schooling, or the same outcomes, as better-off children.” Luckily for the older Walls’ children they bloomed into adulthood with the help of school and determination to live a better life. For Maureen she did not apply herself nor did she have any motivation to commit to her studies. She took living in poverty the hardest because she was the youngest sibling. Many times she was not around to watch her parents blow their money on unnecessary things, however she did encounter Rex and Rose Mary’s parenting skills that left her with too much liberty. She was basically raised by the neighbors because they had food to eat and warm shelter. In conclusion, children who grow up in poverty have