The Glass Castle Analysis

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Summer Reading Assignment John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath and Jeannette Walls’ The Glass Castle both express incredible stories of hardships in American life. These two families in the novels may be very different but share attributes to help them overcome harshness in their lives. In The Grapes of Wrath, the Joads continuously work together as a family and even with other families, and that unity strengthens them. Ma Joad plays a huge part in assisting the family’s journey through life, she holds them all together with her courage, leadership, and strength. Just like in The Grapes of Wrath, one main character works to hold the family together and, in the Walls family, it is Jeannette. She helps the family hold faith in their reckless …show more content…

“We’re Joads. We don’t look up to nobody. Grampa’s grampa, he fit in the Revolution. We was farm people till the debt. And then—them people. They done somepin to us. Ever’ time they come seemed like they was a-whippin’ me—all of us. An’ in Needles, that police. He done somepin to me, made me feel mean. Made me feel ashamed. An’ now I ain’t ashamed. These folks is our folks—is our folks. An’ that manager, he come an’ set an’ drank coffee, an’ he says, ‘Mrs. Joad’ this, an’ ‘Mrs. Joad’ that—an’ ‘How you getting’ on, Mrs. Joad?’” She stopped and sighed. “Why, I feel like people again.” (Steinbeck, Page 307). The importance of fellowship and working together is crucial to survive. On the way to California the Joads interact with other families, and they all support each other. They realize the importance of one another, and the only way they can survive, is to take care of people as if they are your own. Ma having to stay strong on this journey took a toll on her and when people finally start reaching out and taking care of each other and are being friendly she feels like a person again. With Ma being strong and everyone working together they can get through …show more content…

The Walls parents do not really care for their kids in the same way Ma does. Their whole childhood is a series of tales and imagination. “Mom, however, told us that the FBI wasn’t really after Dad; he just liked to say they were because it was more fun having the FBI on your tail than bill collectors” (Walls, Page 21). The kids learn to just go with the flow and listen to any story their parents tell them. Just like Ma was the glue that held the Joads family together, Jeanette is the glue for the Walls family. She never stops supporting and loving her dad, as the family grows apart and becomes older she still is the focal point and encourager of everyone. “Mom liked to encourage self-sufficiency in all living creatures” (Walls, Page 77). The children learn to take care of their selves but still have each other to lean on. With the Walls children always supporting each other they all learned how to make it through a very tough

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