The Glass Castle, By Jeannette Walls

“Life is a drama full of tragedy and comedy,” (Walls,2005, p.129). Throughout Jeannette Walls’s memoir, The Glass Castle, the undeniable truth of the aforementioned statement is made blatantly obvious through the hardships the family faces. There are many people who believe the children should have been removed from their home due to these hardships; however, there would have been no relative, lawful, reason for their removal. The children did live in poor circumstances, but poverty is not reason enough for removal. In fact, the Walls children were able to fully overcome their struggles with poverty, and even thrived on the motivation that their childhood living conditions gave them. This self improvement occurred even despite being exposed …show more content…
As Thomson Reuters mentioned in his 1980 article, Birth Parent Rights, there are many variables when trying to evict a child from their birth parents home solely based on the accusation of possible negligence ( p.1). Moreover, neglect is, in many cases, a perspective subject. Not only would the Walls’s case be an unjust circumstance for child removal, but removing them could also do more harm than good. It is relatively known that children are emotionally connected to their family and removal can cause severe emotional trauma, worsened by the long and equally emotional process of being removed. Not only would the children already be upset having had to leave their parents, but it would be possible that they would be separated from each other which would cause further trama. As it happens, it is most likely the conditions in which they grew up that inspired the children to better themselves and accomplish all that they did as …show more content…
The poverty they faced may have been inconvenient, but it never endangered their lives, and in fact, it gave the children a goal to strive towards. Moreover, the psychological damage which can occur in the emotional process of separation would have undeniably had a worse effect on the children than anything the children were exposed to while living with their family, including the father’s struggle with alcohol abuse. While the Walls family were lucky enough to have been able to stay together, there are many families which are not so lucky. Child Protective services work to protect children, but sometimes are so blinded by the “what-ifs” that they do not see the damage they too are causing to the children. Many people are quick to say that a child they perceive to be neglected should be removed, but there is so much to consider in a situation with such serious implications that no one should assume that removal is the best option without knowing the details of a