Sexual Assault In The Glass Castle By Jeannette Walls

Assault in all forms is dangerous to both men and women. Sexual assault on college campuses is fairly common today, and occurs in a number of ways. Young women are most often the main victims of assault on college campuses. This is becoming a serious issue in American society today because either some of these cases go unreported or these young women are too scared to report them or are too embarrassed to report it because the men causing these might be their friends or someone they know. Many young women face this kind of problem, especially when in college. It is mostly at college parties where girls are at risk of having drinks that have been “roofied.” Roofied drinks are drinks that have been spiked with drugs and are most often used by men against women to make them sleepy or cause them to black out. These men are able to take advantage of these vulnerable women. It is difficult to tell if a drink is roofied as the color, taste and odor of the drink remains the same. These actions also put out a bad image of the “good” men and the men that actually care about a women’s safety and wellbeing. As a result, women will naturally form opinions based on experiences they have and will tend to be more cautious.

Randy, who had a long history of divorce and involvement with drugs and alcohol, abused Joshua for years without the State interfering and protecting Joshua (Reidinger). Joshua’s father, Randy, ruthlessly beat Joshua, inflicting injuries so debilitating that Joshua was admitted into the hospital numerous times for treatment. Joshua had noticeable bruises and welts, cigarette burns and non-accidental skin abrasions, yet while the hospital suspected that these injuries resulted from child abuse, Social services took no measurable action to protect him from

In the beginning, Rex Walls tried a little more than Rose Mary did to provide for his family, taking odd jobs when he could. He got random jobs that paid little but some money when they were available to him. Rex was fired from most of them or he quit when they weren’t what he thought they were, but he attempted to provide for his family and children. Eventually, however, he would start to gamble and bet the family’s money away. When Jeannette Walls had to manage the money, he spent a big amount of it on beer and cigarettes that could’ve gone towards buying groceries for the family. Walls recollects, “That was two days’ worth of food…. Giving him that money pissed me off” (Walls 209). Walls knew that that money would’ve really helped out the family but she could never say no to her father... and Rex knew that. Once, Rex went as far to risk the whole budget they had on bets and gambling; “That Saturday, Dad told me that to pay me back, he had to earn the money first” (Walls 210). Rex’s disregard for his family and their needs was a problem in regards to his parenting, as was Rose Mary’s as

“Children shouldn’t have to sacrifice so that you can have the life you want. You make sacrifices so that your children can have the life that they deserve.”- Unknown. In the book The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls readers are given a front row seat into a family that is constantly being destroyed by the parents. This book allows readers an inside look at having an alcoholic father and an absent mother. There’s no such thing as “normal”, but society often expects certain things from it’s citizens - things like holding down a job, responsibly raising children, and giving back in some way, but in The Glass Castle, Rex and Rose Mary Walls do none of these things. Rex and Rose Mary walls have trouble keeping their jobs, maybe it’s because

In the same chapter, Jeannette recalls asking her sister if her sister had thought their father had going through the same thing. This connection brings up the possibility of Rex being a victim of sexual abuse. This would help explain why Rex was hell-bent on staying in Phoenix, and only gave in whenever his family was leaving for West Virginia without him. Furthermore, Rose Mary had a narrow minded perspective on sexual abuse. "She [Rose Mary] said that sexual assault was a crime of perception" (Walls 184). By saying that sexual assault “was a crime of perception”, Rose Mary erased and trivialized her children’s experiences. This specific situation took place after Jeannette confided to her mother that her Uncle Stanley had inappropriately touched her. This is a time when Jeannette needed the support, love, and concern of her mother; instead, Jeannette was shut down and told that

Rex was alcoholic and was rarely sober. Jeanette, his daughter, had to go to bars and search for him because he would be gone for days at a time. “Four days later, when dad still hadn’t come home, Mom sent me to go find him. ‘Why do I always have to get dad?’ I asked” (Walls 181). A good parent is there for their children and is supportive. Rex left his kids with no food for days while he spent

Walls, as the main character, overlooked the severity of the actions her parents had performed, their inability to face the consequences, which led to their nomadic lifestyle. Nonetheless, there were other factors that contributed to the improbability of a child-friendly atmosphere within the household. Her father's abusive language and habits had always remained a threat to everyone in the family, including her mother. Whether it was the copious amounts of alcohol he consumed, the foul language he spoke, or the beatings he gave to his wife, Rex Walls was the paragon of recklessness and peril. Walls says "Dad stuck his head out the window as he drove, hollering at Mom, calling her a. "stupid whore" and a. "stinking cunt" and ordering her to get back into the car. Mom refused." (Walls 27) This proves that his aggressive language impacts the vocabulary of his children, which will inevitably affect their experiences and interactions with other

Any responsible parent that truly cares for their child(ren) and has their best interest at heart would do anything to make sure their child(ren) are safe. However, Rose Mary and Rex Walls, Walls’ parents, appear to not have the same ideology as they allow their children to be victims of sexual assault several times. For example, Grandma Erma begins to sexually assault Walls’ brother Brian Walls, while their parents are out of town. The children try to explain the story to their parents, consequently making the parents angry. While scolding the children, Rex and Walls break out into a little argument:

During The Glass Castle, Rex Walls lets his children down numerous times but he has actually came through for them too. An example of how he let them down was when he tried to run over his wife Rose. He was drunk at that moment, which is the problem most of the time, and Rose was pregnant dodging the car while they were in a desert. He is letting them down at this moment because while he is in his drunken rage, he could hit Rose and kill her and the baby.

Sexual assault is defined as any vaginal, oral, or anal penetration that is forced upon another, regardless of sex and sexual orientation, using any object or body part. The issue of sexual assault in America is primarily encouraged by rape culture. Women Against Violence Against Women is an organization that defines rape culture as a complex set of beliefs that encourage male sexual aggression and supports violence against women. The acceptance of rape culture, rape myths, and the disregard for sexual consent also allow for the perpetuation of sexual assault against women on college campuses. Recent examples of sexual assault on college campuses show how prominent this issue has become and how hostile campuses have become for female students. Some examples include the University of Southern California’s “Gullet Report,” Miami University of Ohio’s “Top Ten Ways to Get Away with Rape,” and a sexual assault on the campus of Kansas University. Sexual assault is perpetuated by the acceptance of rape myths and rape culture, lack of effective sexual education, and the disregard for consent. The solution to this issue lies with defeating rape culture, increasing awareness and funding for campus sexual assault crisis centers, and enacting more prevention programs on campus.

Sexual assault and rape are serious social and public health issues in the United States and throughout the rest of the world. In particular sexual assault on college campus are prevalent at an alarming rate and leaves serious effects on the victims. This essay will focus on statistics and the prevalence and effects amongst college students, through examining a number of reasons why women fail to report sexual assault and rape. This essay will also cover sexual assault prevention and things that can be done to mitigate the risk of becoming a victim to such matter.

emotional or sexual. Because of child abuse, Caprice Ried will never do the things that a

Guilt and shame are themes that appear often throughout the text in the lives of the Bone, Daddy Glen, the Boatwright’s, and in other “poor white trash”. Bone deals with the shame of her sexual abuse in silence in fear of hurting her mother and making her unhappy. When her abuse started, she wanted nothing more than for her mother to be happy and realized at a young age that it was Glen. She had tried to get along with him but no matter what she did it was wrong. In Natalie Carter’s article, she points out that Daddy Glen’s abuse of Bone could be because of his own inadequacies as a provider and as a man. During this time period being a man without the ability to consistently provide for one’s family was a major issue. This could’ve made him feel less than in the eyes of other men which he sought the approval of. Granted he didn’t admit to it aside from the in the very beginning of the text when he worked with uncle Earle (Allison,). He may also be experiencing increasing

Tom sat on the sofa, his shoulders hunched forward, his eyes staring listlessly into space. In his hands, a forgotten cup of coffee trembled violently, the lukewarm liquid spilling over his fingers. He hadn’t uttered a single word since his impassioned attempt to justify Booker’s assault, and as the minutes ticked by, his silence only added to Doug’s concerns. Although not an expert, as a cop, Penhall understood about trauma, and fearing his friend was going into shock, he made the decision to call 911. With an ambulance on its way, he dialed a second number, and after a brief conversation, he hung up. Turning his attention to Tom, he wondered how to proceed. While he wanted to offer comfort, he honestly did not know what to say. How did you console the victim of sexual assault when the perpetrator was a trusted colleague you worked side by side with day in day out? He was out of his depth and terrified of making matters worse, but he knew he needed to do something other than making a cup of coffee, and approaching Tom, he squatted down and laid a hand on his knee. “How ya doin’, buddy?”

Women, girls, men, and boys are vulnerable victims of sexual assaults every day in our country. While females experience much higher rates of sexual assaults than males. The problem that this country faces is the lack of being able to track rapist, in addition to the victims that chose not to report their assault of being raped to the police. Issues of under reporting comes from the victims with multiple reasons that hinders them from reporting these heinous criminal acts. Thus, the sad realization is that the perpetrator is usually some one that you know, that you would of never of thought that they could and would, and do sexually assault you.