Do Not Lose Hope

“…the idea that hope is an important quality.”

  Hope. It is what one feels every day of their lives. Hope that their day will be good. Hope they pass the big test. Hope they succeed. Hopes for a better life. Without hope, an individual would have nothing to look forward to, and what kind of life is that? In the book, The Glass Castle, hope is an evident theme in regards to the Walls family. It is especially what the kids are forced to rely on, due to the poor living conditions entrenched on them due to extreme negligence from their parents. Through all the negativity, Jeannette, hopes that their family will find stability and normalcy. In The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls asserts that when an individual sustains hope in their lives, they will find positivity through all the negatives, therefore, even after being enlightened that hope does not always work out, they will depend on it to achieve a better quality of life.

  Hope is the whisper of desires in reality. Without hope, there would be no motivation to continue living life, because a life without aspirations, is a life not worth living. Rex Walls introduced the idea of hope to his family so they would have something to look forward to when times were especially rough. As a child, Jeanette idolized her father and believed he could do no wrong, even though he constantly lets down the family. She is introduced to the idea of The Glass Castle, and the prospector, symbols of hope that life will get better.  The Glass Castle is a mansion made of glass that Rex promises Jeanette he will build for the family, the prospector is a machine that Rex would use to fund the glass castle. In her early stages of life, no matter how many times the family moves into homes that fall apart, and battle with aching hunger due to the shortage of money, Jeanette always looks forward to the Glass Castle. “All we had to do was find gold, dad said, and we were on the verge of that, once he finished the prospector and we struck it rich he’d start work on our Glass Castle.” Jeanette is reflecting on the empty promises that her dad allowed her to believe in. These ideas gave Jeanette false hope of her future, as she believed that they would not be poverty stricken for too long, but as time goes on, Jeanette became dependent and attached to the Glass Castle as the answer to all the problems the family has faced, therefore, when the Glass Castle is not built, she is confused and faces an identity crisis. Without the Glass Castle, Jeanette does not know where life will take her.

  Without clear motivation for the future, an individual will feel stress and panic as they try to grasp onto the things that once provided them with hope. When Jeanette is older, and the construction of the Glass Castle has still not made progress, she becomes enlightened that this is yet another one of her father’s empty promises, and he will not give up drinking to support the family, therefore, she takes matters into her own hands, and attempts to build the Glass Castle with her brother, Brian. The family is living in Welch, under horrible conditions. The house that they live in, Little Hobart Street, does not have indoor plumbing, nor electricity. They have no food, no new clothes, and nothing good in their lives. Sick of reality, Jeanette once again, turns to the Glass Castle for the hope of a better life. Brian and Jeanette configure that the construction of the Glass Castle has made no progress, therefore, take matters into their own hands and start digging a hole for the foundation of the castle. It takes them several weeks to dig a hole deep enough, but when revealed to Rex, he ignores their silent pleas of a better quality of life and suggests that they use the hole as a garbage disposal. By using the “foundation” of the glass castle as a garbage disposal, Rex has revealed his true intentions. This scene is extremely significant to Jeanette’s life, as this is the first time she has the realization that the glass castle represents the illusion of life getting easier, and Rex does not plan on making it a reality. With this sudden enlightenment, Jeanette realizes that embedding the idea of hope with the glass castle has been a “figment of her overly active imagination,” and decides that she will find it somewhere else. One who lives in the dark, and is influenced by the beliefs of others, will find great differences in life when they are enlightened and able to view things from different perspectives. With knowledge, one is able to pursue limits that have no end.

  Hope should not be intertwined with an individual, because humans let down one another very often. This is the conclusion Jeanette makes, as she makes plans to leave to New York after graduation. Jeanette has a newfound hope in her life, except it is not dependant on her father to come true, but on herself. She hopes that in New York she finds a better quality of life without her parents. She abandons the family values Rex and Rosemary have taught to their children, and only then, is when she is able to find happiness and success. Before leaving to New York, Jeanette confides in her father of her plans, he again tries to make her stay by bringing out a blueprint of the glass castle. In the past, Jeanette had been a victim of her father’s manipulation and negligence, but now, Jeanette disregards Rex’s silent pleas of Jeanette staying home, and follows what her heart desired. This scene signifies the true growth and development Jeanette has adopted. From being the impressionable daughter who had always believed in her father, and stuck by him, to leaving home shortly after graduation to pursue what she believes is right for her. Once she sees perspective in her own way, she is motivated and unstoppable. This is how Jeanette is able to desert her family values and find success in New York. Upon reaching New York, she worked hard to provide for herself, and balanced work and school, which was the opposite of her parents would have done, exemplifying her divergent identity. Jeannette Walls is now a world known writer to her infamous book, The Glass Castle, and has found huge success through her strong belief in hope, which was initially introduced to her from her father, but made a reality due to her resilient nature.

  The Glass Castle expresses the important constant of life, which is hope. Hope provides motivation towards life’s greatest problems, such as poverty. Jeannette Walls asserts that when an individual is introduced to the idea of hope early on in their lives, they will lead with said aspiration, therefore, eventually achieving success. Jeannette Walls faced many setbacks in her life, but it is hope that life will get better, that allowed her to eventually succeed. Hope is the cause of her happiness, hope is embedded in her aspirations, hope is the better life she desires.