Family. Love. Expectations. All of these factors that complex the idea of false hope a individual looks for. Hope is a human quality in which it gives an individual a sense of reassurance for the unexpected. This assists an individual to have potential in reaching specific desires and aspirations. In the memoir, “The Glass Castle”, Jeannette Walls, the narrates her childhood as she grew up in poverty with her dysfunctional and unique family, as she tries to hold her family together in hope that the future holds something better for them. “The Glass Castle” illustrates the idea as an individual holds onto false hope for a specific desire, results in the realization of the unrealistic expectations one accounted for which results in one changing themselves in order for a better lifestyle. This is evident with Jeannette, who holds onto the false hope with her father with his alcoholism, with her mother- who is portrayed as selfish, lazy, artistic, and lastly the hope she has within herself- to make a living and better lifestyle for herself by taking specific actions which are not stereotypically acceptable.

The concept of hope is constantly evolving due to the multiple factors in an individual’s life. In Jeannette’s life, one of the factors were her father, Rex Walls. He is represented as a loving, adventurous, caring, father. But also as an aggressive, mean, violent, alcoholic. Throughout her childhood, Jeannette and her family have been moving place to place due to the illegal work and debt Rex avoids to face; also known as the ‘skedaddle’. This resulted in disappointment from Jeannette, however, whenever the family would have to ‘skedaddle’, Rex would mention the ‘Glass Castle’ a vision that Rex would visualize for his children, as in a way for them to expect a big, expensive, luxurious house, and the false hope, resulting in broken promises, that the children will have have. This is also evident when Jeannette asks for her father to stop drinking for her birthday present, affordable but realistic. However, this gift did not last for long as her father used alcohol to avoid his responsibilities and expectations- resulting in Jeannette left with the hope she had in her father.

Another factor in Jeannette Walls life was her mother, Rose-Mary. Rose-Mary was an artist who tried to find a way to make a living and provide for her family with her artistic skills- with the knowledge that she has a teaching degree. She took actions based on self desires, not what was best for her children and a way to support her family. This is evident when the family social services arrived at their home questioning Jeannette about the current lifestyle she was living in. This questioning caused Jeannette to tell her mother to get a job in case the social services come again. Eventually Mary did receive a teaching position. This gave Jeannette hope, in a way that there was hope that their family’s lifestyle was going to change.But resulted in Rose Mary taking no initiative for her responsibilities as a teacher. Rose Mary is illustrated as an individual who does not expect anyone else to have high expectations from her- evident when Rose-Mary blames her children whenever their family is going through debt or a ‘skedaddle’ and informs that her life would be better without them.

The idea of constant false hope that an individual experiences results in one finally taking actions for themselves, instead of the dependency on other individuals. This is evident with Jeannette Walls, who has experienced the false hope that her parents displayed and begins to take actions that will benefit her in the future significantly instead of constantly waiting for others to do it for her, as in her parents. When Jeannette realizes that her father is constantly still going to be drinking and avoiding his responsibilities and her mother is not going to take action to provide the basic essentials for her children. Jeannette takes action by saving up money and moving to New York with her sister. This resulted in with Jeannette living in a perfect home while working in a business. This illustrates how Jeannette took the rejection of the hope she had and took the initiative to for those aspirations to actually occur- instead of her constantly waiting for her father to sober up and her mother to take action to benefit her family, not just herself. Hope gives an individual a fear of rejection but essentially results in one acting against in that they will not have to face that rejection again but instead take actions that will benefit themselves.

Hope is the feeling of expectation and desire for a specific event to occur. This is evident with Jeannette Walls as she wanted to see her father sobered and fulfill his promises to his children- which he never did, for her mother to realize to that she needs to provide for her children instead of blaming others for the responsibilities that come upon her. But eventually Jeannette took that feeling of false hope and desires and used hope to benefit herself in living in a safe and healthier environment and to receive the basic needs as a human. The quality of hope promotely shapes and changes an individual’s identity in a way that it benefits one.