Monday, May 7, 2012

Journal Entry #3: The Glass Castle, pp. 155-288


A-1) When the Walls family moves to Little Hobart Street, they quickly descend into impoverished living conditions. How does Jeannette cope with the deficiencies in her life? Discuss at least one specific example.
            Jeannette had many things to cope with the deficiencies in her life. One in particular was that Jeannette and her whole family was always hungry. So what she did was that she would hid in the bathroom during lunch and would find many things in the trash that kids would throw away. Jeannette thought that those kids are ungrateful because they throw away good food.
B) In what way do Jeannette’s job at the jewelry store and her interest in journalism allow her independence?
Jeannette’s job at the jewelry store allows her to gain independence because now she is working and is providing money to make end meet with both her mom Rose Marry and her sister Lori gone. So by her finding a job and providing money she is learning to be independent by herself.
Her interest in journalism allows her independence because now she is thinking by herself without having her parents to reason to. Her job as editor of the school newspaper allows Jeannette to go on different events and gaining a lot out of it. When she moves to New York she interns at a weekly paper called ‘’The Phoenix” and then it turns into a job and the owner encourages Jeannette to attend college which benefits her.
C) How does the move to New York symbolize a second turning point in Jeannette’s life? Is this another “skedaddle” or a more justifiable move for Jeannette?
            The move to New York symbolize a second turning point in Jeannette’s life because now she is on her own and has to find a way to swim or drown without having her parents bothering her. I think that the move to New York is another” skedaddle” because she wants to leave the home she has with her parents but in the long run it turned out to be more justifiable because she gets a job and then goes to college to continue with her career in journalism.     
D) Why do you think Jeannette’s parents choose to continue living on the streets, even after their children are grown?
            I think that Jeannette’s parents choose to continue living on the streets, even after their children are grown up because they are used to living in harsh conditions and cannot seem to follow the rules that are set when living with their children.  They move in with Lori and Maureen but the dad starts drinking and arguing too much so Brian allows the dad to stay with him but then the brakes into the liquor cabinet. Brian tells the dad that he ether had to stop drinking or he had to leave so the dad decides to leave. Rose Mary is also kicked out of her daughter’s home because she has too much stuff and does not clean it or organizes it after Lori tells her many times to do it. I also think that they live in the street because they cannot bear to have their children take care of them when to their ideology they are the ones that are supposed to be providing for them, not the other way around.
E) Why does Maureen stab Rose Mary? Why does Jeannette apologize, “for everything” in her mind (p. 276)?
Maureen stabs Rose Mary because Rose Mary thought “It was time for Maureen to develop a little self sufficiency by moving out and finding a place of her own” (pg 275).  Maureen snapped at the idea of her own mother kicking her out so she stable Rose Mary. Jeannette tells us that all of Maureen’s life she was taken care of “in Welch, the Pentecostal neighbors provided for her, and now in New York, with her long blond hair and wide blue eyes, she found various men who were willing to help out” (pg 274). The father also called Maureen the runt of the litter meaning that she was the littlest and the weakest of all the other children.
Jeannette apologize to Maureen, “for everything” in her mind because she says that, once Maureen arrived at New York, Jeannette was too busy taking care of herself and could not take care of her little sister. I also think that Jeannette apologizes to her little sister because she knew that Maureen had mental problems and needed help but still she did very little to help her out. 

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