Dysfunctions In The Glass Castle

Life is full of surprises. Facing obstacles and cherishing the memories are things that naturally come daily to a person. This often occurs within a single family. In Jeannette Walls’ memoir, The Glass Castle, every member is directly affected by each other’s overall attitude towards a certain situation. Dysfunction and vibrancy settles in during these times and is portrayed through Rose Mary. Greed and selfishness is a perfect reason why dysfunction is exemplified throughout the Walls family. To replace the ring her husband pawned, Rose Mary decides to keep a ring that could have easily been sold to earn enough money for food for her family. She agrees that selling the ring would be a good idea, but she chooses differently saying, “but it could also improve my self-esteem. And at times like these, self-esteem is even more vital than food” (Walls 186). Instead of putting her family’s health and well-being before herself, Rose Mary is selfish to only thinking about herself during this …show more content…
Rose Mary shows the most optimism and is very charismatic towards life especially when she is at her lowest. In her later years, Rose Mary and her husband become homeless and does not seem to mind it. She describes it as, “being homeless is an adventure” (Walls 255). Her three children, all well off and stable in life, came to a point where they worry about their parents living on the streets. With Rose Mary’s positive attitude towards homelessness, it was quite impossible to persuade her to find a place of her own. She remains faithful everyday and looks forward to the blessings God has given her. Jeanette questions her mother when they had this conversation, “Things usually work out in the end. What if they don’t? That just means you haven’t come to the end yet” (Walls 259). Rose Mary’s positive outlook helps her survive and remain content for the rest of her