Glass Castle Quotes . . .

. . . #1: " A few days later, when I had been at the hospital for about six weeks, Dad appeared alone in the doorway of my room. He told me we were going to check out, Rex Walls-style. . . Dad hurried down the hall with me in his arms. A nurse yelled for us to stop, but Dad broke into a run. He pushed open an emergency -exit door and sprinted down the stairs and out to the street. Our car, a beat up Plymouth we called the Blue Goose, was parked around the corner, the engine idling. Mom was up front, Lori and Brian in the back with Juju. Dad slid me across the seat next to Mom and took the wheel. 'You don't have to worry anymore, baby,' Dad said.'You're safe now.'"

• I found this quote interesting because it really emphasized the Walls' unique mentality about technology, modernization, and life in general. A regular family would probably have left their sick child in the hospital for as long as the doctor suggested, even longer if they thought necessary. But the Walls family was so dead set against putting their children in the hands of anyone else that, even in trying to save them, they ended up putting their children at risk. Although Rex Walls thinks he's helping his daughter, he could very well have removed her from the care she needed to survive in the hospital.

. . . #2: " When dad wasn't telling us about all the amazing things he had already done, he was telling us about the wondrous things he was going to do. Like build 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. "

• I really thought this quote was important because of it's explanation of the book's title, and it really highlighted the childlike fantasy of a man with the mind of a genius but no common sense for the real world. It shows how Rex Walls was a good father to his children in nurturing their minds and keeping them optimistic in difficult times, but he failed to follow through and provide necessities to his family. He was always dreaming, always living the life he wanted to live without any way to get his head out of the clouds and understand that he has a family to provide for.
  
  

. . . #3: " We laughed about all the kids who believed in the Santa Clause myth and got nothing but a bunch of cheap plastic toys. 'Years from now, when all the junk they got is broken and long forgotten,' Dad said, ' you'll still have your stars.'"( 41, Walls)

• I like this quote because I think it displays how sweet Rex is with his kids. Although they don't have much, Mr.and Mrs. Walls do a good job at keeping their kids optimistic through it all, even if it means laughing at the other children who believe in Santa Clause. However, I still believe that their children's sheltered contentment is no excuse for Rex not to try to get an honest-to-goodness job for a change!

. . . #4: " It wasn't just any tree. It was an ancient Joshua tree. It stood in a crease of land where the desert ended and the mountain began, forming a wind tunnel. From the time the Joshua tree was a tiny sapling, it had been so beaten down by the whipping wind that, rather than trying to grow skyward, it had grown in the direction that the wind pushed it. . . One time I saw a tiny Joshua tree sapling growing not to far from the old tree. I wanted to dig it up and replant it near our house. I told mom that I would protect it from the wind and water it every day so that it could grow nice and tall and straight. Mom frowned at me. 'You'd be destroying what makes it special,' she said. 'It's the Joshua tree's struggle that gives it its beauty.'" ( 35-38 Walls)

• I liked this quote because i thought it really summed up the walls' parenting philosophy and idea of life in general . They never really baby their kids at all and, quite often, this puts their kids in danger. Although I am definitely not advocating this type of parenting, I'm starting to see that their motive for doing so is to help their kids build character. They think that making them face these impossible struggles will make them stronger people, and in most cases, they're right. It seems like their unorthodox parenting ideas are paying off in helping their kids gain confidence and resilience in every day life.

. . . #5: " Mom and Dad rented a great big U-Haul truck. Mom explained that since only she and Dad could fit in the front of the U-Haul, Lori, Brian, Maureen, and I were in for a treat: We got to ride in the back. It would be fun, she said, a real adventure . . . Suddenly, with a bang, we hit a huge pothole and the back doors on the U-Haul flew open."

• After reading this quote I really started to question weather the Walls were the best people to be raising children anymore. Leaving their 3 young kids in the back of the U-Haul doesn't exactly solidify their credibility as parents in the first place, but then the back doors flew open and any reputation they had as good parents was gone. I just can't believe they would put their kids in that type of danger!! I know that Mr. and Mrs. Walls really love their kids, but it seems that while they are running away from the modern world, their kids are having to suffer the consequences.

. . . #6: " ' Sink or swim!' he called out. For the second time, I sank. The water once more filled my nose and lungs. I kicked and flailed and thrashed my way to the surface, gasping for air, and reached out to dad. But he pulled back, and I didn't feel his hands around me until I'd sunk one more time."

• Now, I don't know if its just me, but this sounds a little crazy. I can understand letting your kid fend for itself a little, but it seems to me that the Walls uphold self-sufficiency so much that they're willing to flirt with death, on their children's behalf, to give it to them. This has happened several times in the book. First, when Jeannette's mother allowed her to cook hot dogs by herself at the age of four and her dress caught on fire, severely burning her. Next, when some kids were bothering her at school, her father encouraged Jeannette to fight them, resulting in her and her brother being beat up several times. Finally, Jeannette almost drowns just to learn how to swim. On each occasion, had things not gone the way they did, Jeannette's life could have gone horribly wrong. Plus the multiple other occasions when the Walls were not seeking to teach their kids a lesson, but simply living their rogue lives in which they endangered their kids (when Jeanette falls out of the car while her father is driving from the police, or when the kids almost fall out of the back of the U haul ). I just don't know if that level of self-sufficiency is worth such a steep price, or even necessary in normal life.

. . . #7: " ' We're not poor,' I said. She had used that word one too many times. 'Of course your not,' the lady quickly replied. 'I didn't mean it that way.' But I could tell that she had. The lady grew quiet, and for the rest of the trip, no one said much. As soon as she dropped us off, Dad disappeared. I waited on the front steps until bedtime, but he didn't come home." ( 66, Walls )

• I thought this quote was very important to the story because it really "lifted the veil" into the mindset of Rex Walls. On the surface he seems not to be bothered by the fact that his children are almost going hungry and they have no money, but underneath, there seems to be much more going on. This quote took place right after the Walls' car broke down and they had to hitch-hike with strangers into Phoenix. I think that Rex is really feeling the burden of his family's welfare on him and it appears to shame him greatly that he cannot provide for them.

. . . #8: " We started talking about some of Dad's great escapades: letting me pet the cheetah, taking us Demon Hunting, giving us stars for Christmas. 'We should drink a toast to Rex,' John said. Mom stared at the ceiling, miming perplexed thought. ' I've got it.' she held up her glass. 'Life with your father was never boring.' We raised our glasses. I could almost hear Dad chuckling at Mom's comment in the way he always did when he was truly enjoying something. It had grown dark outside. A wind picked up, rattling the windows, and the candle flames suddenly shifted, dancing along the border between turbulence and order. "

• I really liked this final quote of the book. I thought it was important to include because it so expertly summed up the entire story of the Glass Castle, especially the last sentence. The phrase dancing along the border between turbulence and order seems to sum up Jeannette Walls' entire life. She was always pushing the limit, but almost always stayed on the order side.

Spring Break ! ! !

. . . I am so excited for spring break!! I can't believe that its only two weeks away now! With the whether warming up, the sun shining, and the ugly gray snow melting I can't help but long for Florida! After finals are over, not to mention third quarter, the ocean and white sand beaches of Anna Maria Island will be a welcome retreat from studying and test taking!

Glass Castle 5 . . .

. . . In the chapters that I read this week, I was reminded again of the Wall's parenting philosophy of "sink or swim " . . . literally. In this section, the Walls headed to the 'hot pot', a natural spring near their home in Battle Mountain. Because she had lived in the desert her whole life, Jeannette had never learned to swim and her father decided today was the day to try. So, he swam once across the pool sized spring, then threw his daughter out into the water yelling, " Sink or swim!" (walls 66). He did this multiple times, each time Jeanette would sink, and each time she reached for her father he would either pull away from her, or throw her back out into the water. Now, I don't know if its just me, but this sounds a little crazy. I can understand letting your kid fend for itself a little, but it seems to me that the Walls uphold self-sufficiency so much that they're willing to flirt with death, on their children's behalf, to give it to them. This has happened several times in the book. First, when Jeannette's mother allowed her to cook hot dogs by herself at the age of four and her dress caught on fire, severely burning her. Next, when some kids were bothering her at school, her father encouraged Jeannette to fight them, resulting in her and her brother being beat up several times. Finally, Jeannette almost drowns just to learn how to swim. On each occasion, had things not gone the way they did, Jeannette's life could have gone horreably wrong. Plus the multiple other occasions when the Walls were not seeking to teach their kids a lesson, but simply living their rogue lives in which they endangered their kids (when Jeanette falls out of the car while her father is driving from the police, or when the kids almost fall out of the back of the U haul ). I just don't know if that level of self-sufficiency is worth such a steep price, or even necessary in normal life.

Glass Castle 4 . . .

Ok so I know i just posted that I thought the Walls were good parents because they enable their kids to be content with what they have, but after what I just read I 'm not so sure that they're the best people to be raising children anymore. I came to this conclusion after reading over a passage that explained how the author and her family were moving, yet again, and she and her siblings had to ride in the back of a UHaul for about 20 hours ! And as if that wasn't bad enough, after only a few minutes in the trailer, the back doors flew open and the Walls children almost fell out!! I mean talk about irresponsible parents ! Oh, and i forgot to say that they left their newborn baby in the hands of their five year old daughter, who was also in the back of the UHaul ! What is wrong with these people ?! But after thinking about this for a while and letting myself cool down a little, I thought about why they were doing this, and i came to think that they were risking their children's safety so that their entire family could live in a better place. So, I guess this does somewhat justify what they did, and they told their kids it was going to be an "adventure" (Walls 48). But they were still endangering the lives of their children, and I don't think that they should be so willing to put their family on the line like that to chase a lifestyle of outlawed living and wildness.

Glass Castle 3 . . .

Well this week my reading in the glass castle was very interesting. The Walls family has just recently moved into an abandoned train station in the quaint desert town of Battle Mountain. This dust bowl of a city embodies the stereotype of a western mining post. the buildings, which surround one main street, are made mostly of adobe and brick and don't rise more than one story. Beyond these super markets and "sun-bleached cars" (Walls 51), lies the the train station where he Walls now call home.
As I was reading it really struck me that, what most families would consider to be a worn down, dirty and scary place to stay, the Walls think is a beautiful, characterized and adventurous place to live. It seems that mr. and mrs. Walls are not always the most reasonable people on the planet, but they still make sure that their children are happy, no matter what the circumstances. The author even includes an experience in which she and her siblings went through a time when they had to sleep on cardboard boxes, but when their parents started talking about getting the kids mattresses, they said they, "liked our boxes. they make going to bed seem like an adventure." I thought this was a very revealing insight into the dynamic of the Walls family and showed that even with nothing the parents had taught their children to be content.

SPRING !!!!

. . . I am sooooo excited for spring to come!! This nice wheather is wonderful and its getting me ready to wear shorts and tank tops and flip flops! And its also only about one month until spring break. Can you believe it ! Well . . . I'm still reading the Glass Castle and its really good so far, but nothing to blog about.

Glass Castle 2 . . .

. . . As I was reading in the glass castle this week, I came across a quote that I thought was pretty interesting. The protagonist, who's name I still don't know, is talking to her mom about this plant near their house known as the joshua tree. It grows at the base of a mountain in the desert of Nevada and constantly has the wind blowing it in one direction. Because of this it grew to look like the wind was constantly blowing on it. The protagonist wants to take it home and re-plant it so it could grow straight and tall. But her mother tells her " You'd be destroying what makes it special... Its the Joshua tree's struggle that gives it its beauty." ( walls p. 38 ) I liked this quote because i thought it really summed up the walls' parenting philosophy and idea of life in general . They never really baby their kids at all and, quite often, this puts their kids in danger. Although I am definitely not advocating this type of parenting, I'm starting to see that their motive for doing so is to help their kids build character. They think that making them face these impossible struggles will make them stronger people. And in most cases, they're right. At this point, it seems like their unorthodox parenting ideas are paying off in helping their kids gain confidence and resilience in every day life. But living so far removed from society has its price, and I think it will soon catch up with the Walls family . . . but I'll just have to read and find out.

Glass Castle 1 . . .

. . . I love this book! After just reading the preface I can tell that I am really going to enjoy the Glass Castle. The basic premise of the book is based around a middle aged successful woman from New York reflecting upon her . . . unique childhood. The book begins with her earliest memory of lighting herself on fire while making hotdogs- at the age of three. While at the hospital, the nurses seem to express distinctive distain upon the way this young girls' parents are raising her. But this social outcasting doesn't stop at the ER. Instead, it seems to follow her throughout her entire life as she grows up with her extremely eccentric, and often dangerously different, parents. Her father is exuberant, inventive, and almost childlike in a way. But when he drinks, he becomes someone no one with any sense of self preservation wants to be around. Her mother is also adventerous and excitable and tries, even against reason, to teach her children to be self sufficient and imaginative. But the Walls children can't help but learn how to survive on their own as they are often left to fend for themselves when their parents are gone. But they learn to depend on eachother as they are constantly doing the "skeedattle" ( as Mr. Walls calls it ) to run from the FBI (tax collectors ) or Mafia ( the most recent casino Mr. Walls has cheated ), never allowing the kids to lay permanent roots. And this is all in the first few chapters! I can't wait to read the rest of the book with its endeering story of a family that chose to go against the grain in about as many ways possible.

New Moon . . .

. . . Ok, So I've read to about page 100 in New Moon and, its pretty good so far. I am a little sad that Edward doesn't have a very big role yet, and Bella's depressed attitude doesn't really lend itself to making the story very exciting, but I'm hoping the plot will pick-up soon, and I guess this lull in the action does give readers a chance to learn more about Bella's character. Anyway, I've just started the part where Bella is going with Jess, for the first time in months, to the movies. I must admit, I was really surprised when Bella didn't even know what movies were playing. I mean, I know she's sad, but you have to really seclude yourself from society to not even know one movie that would be in the theatre. She seems so sad and lost, as if she has no hope for life. I'm glad she has Charlie though, because even though I do want her to wait for Edward, she can't just throw away the rest of her life, even Edward wouldn't want her to. Charlie seems to be the reality in her fairy tail life. He really loves her and wants his old daughter back, not some robot that "doest do anything!" (Meyer). However, in Bella's defense, she really can't find anyone else like Edward. Not only because he was a Vampire, but because they "clicked" so well together and shared so many memories and secrets that helped make them the people they are today. And once Bella has this impossibly high standard like Edward, hardly anyone can make it.

Twilight/ New Moon . . .

. . . Like most of the readers of Twilight, I finished the book in about a weekend, and since then I've been looking for another story to read. Naturally I wanted to read New Moon, but at the time that I finished Twilight I honestly did not have time to head over to Barns and Noble, and amidst studying for pre-holiday break tests and trying to start drivers' training it kept getting pushed to the back burner. I still haven't bought the book, but I just had to find out what happens next! So, one day over break I finally did make it to Barns and Noble but, of course, I had no money with me to buy the book! But I wouldn't let that stop me. In the spirit of someone truly obsessed, I grabbed the book off the shelf and plunked myself down in one of the many awkwardly placed uncomfortable chairs found in B&N. So there I sat, completely engrossed in my book, for about half an hour. Then, when I had to go, I put the book back on the shelf, and I had read nearly to page 100. I know it sounds crazy, but I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to read that book! I left with a pretty good idea of the plot and conflict and an even stronger craving to read. Hopefully before the end of break I'll have a legitimate copy I can read at home and I'm looking forward to finishing New Moon.

Christmas break . . .

. . . Wow! I can hardly believe that the holiday break is already over! I've waited for it to come for soo long, and now it's already passed. Now we have to get back to the real world of homework, school, and only Spring Break to look forward to. Monday may possibly be the worst day of my life and I don't know how I'm going to get up for school. Well . . . it was great while it lasted! I had a great break and, to look on the bright side, I still have a bunch of Christmas money to spend.