In "The Glass Castle," a memoir by Jeannette Walls, Rex, the father of the narrator, is depicted as a complex and troubled individual who struggles with alcoholism. Throughout the book, there are several quotes that highlight Rex's relationship with alcohol and the impact it has on his life and the lives of those around him.
One quote that stands out is when Jeannette describes the first time she saw her father drunk: "I'd never seen Daddy drunk before. It was a little scary. His face was all red and he was talking loud and laughing a lot, but his eyes looked sad" (Walls, 2005, p. 44). This quote illustrates the duality of Rex's personality when he drinks – on the one hand, he becomes more boisterous and animated, but on the other hand, there is a sense of sadness and vulnerability beneath the surface.
Another quote that speaks to Rex's alcoholism is when Jeannette reflects on the way her father's drinking affected their family: "Daddy's drinking made everything worse. When he was sober, he was fun and funny and smart, but when he was drunk, he was mean and nasty and scary" (Walls, 2005, p. 92). This quote illustrates the destructive nature of Rex's alcoholism and the impact it had on the emotional well-being of his family.
Despite the challenges that Rex's drinking presented, Jeannette and her siblings always looked up to their father and tried to understand and support him. As Jeannette says, "We loved Daddy and we were always trying to figure out how to help him. We knew he had a hard time with alcohol, but we didn't know how to fix it" (Walls, 2005, p. 95). This quote shows the love and loyalty that Jeannette and her siblings had for their father, as well as the helplessness they felt in the face of his addiction.
Overall, the quotes from "The Glass Castle" about Rex drinking reveal the complex and multifaceted nature of his relationship with alcohol. While his drinking brought chaos and destruction to his family's lives, it was also clear that he was struggling with a deep-seated pain and that his alcoholism was a coping mechanism for him.
Alcohol Abuse In The Glass Castle
She realizes that it is not right for a parent to let their three year old to be cooking. She offers the kids sandwiches and drinks; and Dad, riled by this act of charity, returns to drinking when they get back home. On the rare occasions that there was food in the house, the family would gorge until it was gone. No matter how much you love them or how much it hurts to distance yourself from them, if your mental, emotional or physical health is being jeopardized, you must break free from them. Alcoholism contributes to a variety of severe social problems: homelessness, murder suicide, injury, and violent crime. In church, Rex would speak out inappropriately and insult the religion while all those who follow it witness.
50 The Glass Castle Quotes With Page Numbers and Analysis
He said they were checking out Rex Walls style. Even though their childhood was less than ideal, the fact that they survived and are now productive citizens means that they were better off living with their parents than in a foster home. Earlier in the memoir, Dad is unable to relinquish his role as family breadwinner and, consequently, head of the household , going so far as to escort Mom to the bank on payday so he can control the finances. Jeannette had the sudden urge to check him out Rex Walls style. None of us kids did. He went from this person that cared about family to a type of person that did not care about family and just drank his life and his money away. As kids, people tend to view their parents as superheroes and their lives as idyllic.
The Glass Castle Quotes by Jeannette Walls
She worked very hard to get accepted into college by working for the school newspaper, since she wanted to become a journalist. By discussing issues such as poverty, parental neglect, and sexual abuse, Jeannette Walls exposes students to important Symbolism In The Glass Castle 1153 Words 5 Pages The Glass Castle is a memoir by Jeanette Walls in which she tells the story of her childhood and the way she became who she is. Even though the Walls parents were horrible people, their children loved them. Who is Rex Walls in The Glass Castle? This article is an excerpt from the Like this article? Sheep don't win horse races. The Glass Castle Symbolism 1211 Words 5 Pages As a child, Jeannette Walls moves around constantly with her family. Rex Walls: Father Knows Best Rex Walls was a smart but unruly patriarch. Fussing over children who cry only encouraged them, she told us.
5 Quotes from The Glass Castle and Why They Matter
Living with her depressed mother who weeps and sobs about her struggles in her teaching job, her alcoholic gambling father who, on a daily basis, would not arrive home, and her two sisters, Lori and Maureen and brother, Brian. Parents are required to make crucial decisions about how to raise their children in order to guide them through the inevitable obstacles and hardships of life. He was teaching us to have good posture. Alcohol, used in both solemn and joyful times, can be dangerous when one becomes dependent upon it. At the same time, as she ages and becomes more mature, she tries to break free from her familial roots and move to New York.
The Glass Castle Part 4: New York City Summary & Analysis
At the last minute, Dad changes his mind and hops in the car, capitulating to his children's pleas that they needed him. Dwight was moved that his brother thought to give him this since he believed Gordon did not think of him at all. First, recall that Jeannette has the best relationship with her Dad out of all of her siblings. Dad had lost his job at the gypsum, and when Christmas came that year, we had no money at all. In the novel the Glass Castle Jeanette is a perfect example of how your perspective changes throughout life as you experience life in addition to maturing. It seems as if all the atrocious things that the Walls parents inflicted on their children, are made to seem not as bad, or justified because of their childhoods, and that drowns out the actual horrors of what happened to them. He is telling them to make a distinction between turbulence and order.
