Coming Of Age In Jeannette Walls The Glass Castle

Coming of age is an inevitable learning process that every teenager will go through in order to step into adulthood. Everyone grows up differently and each story is told differently. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a memoir where her story revolves around her coming of age from her rough past. The author grows up in a poor family with a nomadic lifestyle. As they move around, they encounter different adventures across the States, from the grandmother’s house in Phoenix to Welch. Walls’ view on her father and her life changes as well. Although Jeannette believes that she lives in a perfect family, as she grows up, her parents’ flaws become evident. As Jeannette’s idealistic life becomes different, she comes of age and eventually, Jeanette …show more content…
Today, Jeannette is successful in life and she forgives her parents from the past she had to go through. Living a decent life, she sees her mom searching dumpsters to find some valuable goods. Seeing her mother like this, she is ashamed. At the same time, she worries about her mother because she “could never enjoy the room without worrying about Mom and Dad huddled on a sidewalk grate somewhere. [She] fretted about them, but [she] was embarrassed by them too…” (4) However, when her father dies, Jeannette realizes that he was not bad. At the reconciliation at her mother’s place, her mother tells them that “Life with [their] father was never boring.” (288) Even though their life was hard with their father, they are still family that is special in its own way. In fact, she forgives her parents since she had many life lessons from them. Even though she learned it the hard way, she still appreciates what they taught her. The disappointment she has toward her father and mother declines as she comes to terms with their lifestyle. All she can think about is the happy times she had with her family. After the stage of forgiving, most children will appreciate their surroundings more than