Adversity, a simple yet complex term; is used to describe the struggles and tribulations an individual faces as a mechanism to ultimately develop their self-identity through the process of facing the challenges and hardships that they are accompanied with. The response to how an individual deals with the adversities present, reveals their character and pursuit in life. In the memoir, The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls, Jeanette explores the concept of character development and the impact of adversities through the loss of innocence, denial, and ultimately, the acceptance of her true form. As an individual encounter adversities in their life, most, if not often, will reject the tribulations; when they decide to face their problems, the adversities present becomes a development for resilience and self-growth–present in the character of Jeanette Walls.

 When an individual is exposed to limited environments and situations, their character is impacted in a way where they will begin to absorb and follow the lifestyle that is present in their surroundings. Established in the beginning of the novel, the scene begins with Jeanette cooking hotdogs by herself in her trailer-van, at the age of three. Accustomed to the lifestyle that her parents have influenced upon her, she deems her actions as normal as she later on curses, and lights objects on fire as well. Having been exposed to little, Jeanette relies on her parents and the environment she is placed in in order to develop her identity. In the beginning, her parents symbolize the sanctity within Jeanette, as they play critical role models in her life–guiding her to what they believe is the normal standard of living. Ironically enough, though her parents will later reveal the beginnings of Jeanette’s adversities through the inclination of poverty, alcoholism, and neglect–Jeanette sees through this, and finds solace with her current way of living.

   As an individual develops maturity and exposure to more significant bodies and surroundings of influence, they will be forced to challenge their adversities–ultimately, leading them to critically analyze their identity through methods of denial or struggle, extensively. Jeanette, who has grown to form and integrate into bigger opportunities and settings, begins to develop a deeper sense of denial and struggle, as she is forced to question her true character as a person. Evident in the scene where she hides from her mother, Rose Walls, in the taxi, she observes Rose digging through garbage sites in New York. At this point of her life, Jeanette has matured to reach success as she is surrounded by luxuries present in her life. Ashamed of being identified, Jeanette’s initial response to her adversities is seen as avoidance–later on developing as a sense of guilt; evident when she meets up with her mother at a restaurant, where she confesses her doings the previous night, her mother forces her to re-evaluate her conscience as an individual who has been brought up in a state of poverty. The luxuries and success that surrounds Jeanette  symbolize a place in which she finds solace–an idyllic lifestyle and background for which she wants to be known for. As the story progresses, her adversities subconsciously form into avoidance and denial as she is afraid of people knowing who she really is: a person who is ashamed of being vulnerable and exposed for something she is not– which ultimately leads her to hide her true self, not only to others, but herself, as her lifestyle becomes a sanctuary for her, again, a place of solace. The author establishes the themes of struggle and adversities in that, an individual response as denial to hide from their identity, will lack the motive and courage to find acceptance in themselves, a critical plot that has become Jeanette’s tribulation throughout the novel.

 Through reasoning and the right form of impact, an individual’s character can be shifted, which influences them to become a betterment for themselves. Often found when an individual is ready to wholly accept themselves through the means of being exposed to impactful adversities, and individual will ameliorate their life through focussing and prioritizing themselves. Transitioning their focus from the judgements of others. As Jeanette Walls describes her circumstances and the difficulty of accepting who she is–what once was something she found solace in, becomes a burden in many ways. No longer does she find her newly-sewed lifestyle a place of comfort as she is challenged once again to critically question who she really wants to be and the people around her. As she analyzes her situation, she begins to prioritize and accept herself as the person she was, and the person she is now. Symbolizing a significant plot in Jeanette’s adolescence–the Joshua Tree, acts on her initial instinct, as she was motivated was to dig up the sapling and place it somewhere where wind and water could not disturb it’s growth–a meaningful symbol in Jeanette’s adulthood as she is characterized as a person who wants to shield herself from vulnerableness. As a response to Jeanette’s plan for keeping the Joshua tree sapling from being harmed, her mother, Rose, plays a critical role as her response is to reject Jeanette’s plan, quoting, “It’s the Joshua Tree’s struggles that make it unique.” a significant part which later foreshadows Jeanette’s identity as a whole. The Joshua tree not only resembles the significance of growth in Jeanette, but also the fact that the adversities that Jeanette  is faced with, reflects the beauty of it all; to her background in poverty, and her father’s alcoholic habits–she begins to accept and establish her identity through the means of re-establishing her values in life; redesigning herself as a person who is capable to find happiness, through finding herself as a person once more. As an individual becomes aware of their needs, they develop a deeper sense of understanding of themselves–only when they are ready to proceed, will they find genuine happiness in themselves and their decisions.

Established within the memoir, The Glass Castle, Jeanette Walls presents and explores the ideas that the adversities and struggles and individual goes through, becomes a motive for an individual’s character shift–a process of revelation as an individual is exposed to the struggles of acceptance and denial. Only when an individual is ready to wholly accept themselves will they find great strength and happiness, through a process of resilience.