Broken Dreams

As a child, I always dreamed of building up the perfect world where I could live happily in my dream house with no problems and everything I wanted in the world would be sturdy and strong. I would live forever in peace in my own imagined castle. Rex Walls had a similar dream for his family. He had a plan to build the Glass Castle. His daughter's biography references this many times, so many that she named the book after it, titled The Glass Castle. As the book progressed, the idea for the glass castle became so much more than a dream for a house. It was a safe-line. Whenever times were tough, the blueprints for the castle would show up, and it would reassure them that better times were ahead. Unfortunately, as time progressed, Jeannette and her siblings realized how unrealistic these dreams were. They knew that the Glass Castle would never be built. Later on in life, Jeannette could see her fathers dream for what it truly was. A metaphor symbolizing not a house or castle, but happiness. Happiness that he wanted his family to have. Happiness built in a sturdy environment.

Broken Glass

Once I thought about it, I could see that even the words themselves could describe Jeannette's life. The Glass Castle. A castle made of glass. With a quake in the foundation, the whole thing would become unstable and be destroyed. Many times Jeannette and her family found themselves in an unstable environment, and were on the brink of destruction. I believe that glass is the perfect metaphor for this family because at first glance it appears good and beautiful, but very easily can it become cracked or broken.

I think Jeannette chose to title her memoir The Glass Castle because it symbolizes all the happy and sad memories of her childhood. It made her remember to always have faith and be happy even in the worst of situations.