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Metaphors In The Glass Castle

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The Glass Castle is a memoir of Jeannette Walls’ experience and her tempestuous upbringing. Her father was a charismatic and intelligent man, but when he drank he was dishonest and couldn’t hold a job. Their mother was a free spirit who felt confined by the responsibilities of motherhood, and sought refuge in her blind optimism. Without steady parental figures, Jeannette and her siblings turned to each other for support. Eventually, they made their way to New York to build lives for themselves. Their parents followed, choosing to be homeless. The novel is latent with metaphors, the biggest one being the title itself. The Glass Castle is an idea cooked up by her father, a luxurious structure in the desert that runs on solar panels. He carries around blueprints for it, and while living in Welch, Jeannette and her brother actually dig a large hole for the foundation. However, Jeannette is struck with the reality that the Glass Castle will never come to be when her father tells her to throw their accumulating garbage into the hole meant intended for it’s foundation, since he can’t afford the trash collection fee. As Jeanette nears adulthood and her plans to follow her sister to New York inch closer, she tells her father, “Go ahead and build the Glass Castle, but don’t do it for me” (Walls 238). This is a turning point for her, because she lets go of the Glass Castle, a symbol of her father’s empty promises and illusions, to move away and better herself. Another huge symbol

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