Raising a family can be hard, especially for a mentally ill women and an alcoholic. Rex and Rose Mary Walls are both free spirited and irresponsible individuals. Thanks to their parents, their four kids not only grew up in a tough environment but also struggled to survive. During tough winters they were left to freeze and most of the time the kids had to dig through trash cans at school to find scraps of food. The Walls were constantly on the run from child protective services and I originally believed the kids would have been better of in their care rather than their own parents, but despite their parents neglect they turned out to be kids. Rose Mary Walls is a free spirit, with little to no compassion for anyone or anything. Rex would be
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Part of the reason this family did not have a lot of money was because their mom and dad did not have stable jobs, but what made a huge impact on how they were raised was the fact that their dad was an alcoholic. Rex’s drinking habits essentially marked the beginning of dark times for the Walls children. He knew his drinking was a problem, I believe he knew the extent of damage he was doing to his family, which is why he would disappear days at a time after going out to drink. Later on in The Glass Castle readers learn the physically and sexually abusive behaviors of Rex’s parents. When the kids’ grandparents tried to sexually assault them, Rex brushed it off and actually got mad at his kids rather than his parents. Because of this behavior readers can easily infer that Rex went through the same thing as a child. Whatever he endured during his childhood, as well as the loss of a child in the beginning of memoir, could’ve triggered depression and/or post traumatic stress disorder. Rex’s alcoholism is most likely a cover up for the mental illness he may be suffering from. His own wife might play her own role in his alcoholism as well. He tried twice throughout the book to get sober for his kids, and succeeded, only to get sucked right back into his old ways thanks to his …show more content…
In the beginning, Rex actually acknowledged how talented his kids were. He was the one who taught Jeanette to swim and how to not be afraid of the dark. On page 201, Jeanette says, "I decided to make my own braces." Do you think any other kid of her age would want to make their own braces and actually make them properly? The reason Jeanette is so intelligent is because Rex has taught her so many valuable things that will stay with her, her whole life. Nothing in the Walls family was ever perfect, far from but Rex was practically the kids only support system up until he began drinking. Even while Rex was labeled as the town drunk, he still made an effort to bring food and money home for the kids. On the other hand, Mary resented her children because she sees them as standing between her and her dream of becoming a famous artist. She hating cooking and refused to work because she believed she didn’t have to if she didn’t want because she was the adult. Mary was not suitable to have children, let alone four. She was not able to provide basics needs for her children, but did manage to teach them important life lessons like her husband as well. Together the two parents taught their kids the importance of imagination and without really trying they also taught them how to fend for themselves in the real
Part of the reason this family did not have a lot of money was because their mom and dad did not have stable jobs, but what made a huge impact on how they were raised was the fact that their dad was an alcoholic. Rex’s drinking habits essentially marked the beginning of dark times for the Walls children. He knew his drinking was a problem, I believe he knew the extent of damage he was doing to his family, which is why he would disappear days at a time after going out to drink. Later on in The Glass Castle readers learn the physically and sexually abusive behaviors of Rex’s parents. When the kids’ grandparents tried to sexually assault them, Rex brushed it off and actually got mad at his kids rather than his parents. Because of this behavior readers can easily infer that Rex went through the same thing as a child. Whatever he endured during his childhood, as well as the loss of a child in the beginning of memoir, could’ve triggered depression and/or post traumatic stress disorder. Rex’s alcoholism is most likely a cover up for the mental illness he may be suffering from. His own wife might play her own role in his alcoholism as well. He tried twice throughout the book to get sober for his kids, and succeeded, only to get sucked right back into his old ways thanks to his …show more content…
In the beginning, Rex actually acknowledged how talented his kids were. He was the one who taught Jeanette to swim and how to not be afraid of the dark. On page 201, Jeanette says, "I decided to make my own braces." Do you think any other kid of her age would want to make their own braces and actually make them properly? The reason Jeanette is so intelligent is because Rex has taught her so many valuable things that will stay with her, her whole life. Nothing in the Walls family was ever perfect, far from but Rex was practically the kids only support system up until he began drinking. Even while Rex was labeled as the town drunk, he still made an effort to bring food and money home for the kids. On the other hand, Mary resented her children because she sees them as standing between her and her dream of becoming a famous artist. She hating cooking and refused to work because she believed she didn’t have to if she didn’t want because she was the adult. Mary was not suitable to have children, let alone four. She was not able to provide basics needs for her children, but did manage to teach them important life lessons like her husband as well. Together the two parents taught their kids the importance of imagination and without really trying they also taught them how to fend for themselves in the real