Overcoming Obstacles In The Glass Castle By Jeannette Walls

In times of hardship, people tend to do one of two things: give up, or fight to overcome their problems. The Glass Castle, written by Jeannette Walls, is a memoir that tells the story of a young girl who fought to overcome obstacles throughout her childhood. Jeannette spends most of her childhood in the Southwest, then later moves to Welch, West Virginia. The Walls family rarely lives in suitable conditions, often living in abandoned houses, with inadequate food, water, and finances. They move often to avoid the police and bill collectors.. Finally, the Walls children make their way to New York, where, for once, they can live comfortably. Throughout this heartwarming and heart-wrenching story, Jeannette Walls draws the audience to a few main themes. Walls demonstrates throughout The Glass Castle that people will always make mistakes, that there is more to a person than what one observes, and that one can overcome hardships to find success, using many literary techniques.
In The …show more content…
Jeannette uses pathos to illustrate this theme to her audience. The greatest instance of this occurs when she describes her experience with the school newspaper at Welch High School. Walls begins as a proofreader, but after several years, she becomes a reporter. When reflecting on the experience, Walls writes, “I began going to just about every extracurricular event at the school, and the kids who shunned me before now accepted me and even sought me out” (231). The pride in her voice is clear and well-deserved, given how long the Walls family suffers as the town outcasts. This story also elicits feelings of pride and joy within the audience, and encourages audience members to think on times that they overcame hardships to find success. Throughout the novel, the way Walls provokes these feelings in the audience brings attention to her message, that one can overcome hardships and be