TOW #8- IRB- The Glass Castle

"The Glass Castle" is about author Jeanette Walls's unorthodox childhood with unconventional parents and her ability to stray from this past to become a successful 21st century woman. The author Jeannette Walls is an American journalist most notably known for her work as a gossip columnist for MSNBC.com. Her purpose in writing this novel was to illustrate her nomadic lifestyle and how she was able to overcome her challenging past in order to become her own person. The rhetorical term she most utilizes in this novel is Symbolism. "I lived in a world that at any moment could erupt into fire. It was the sort of knowledge that kept you on your toes" (Walls 34). Fire is a reoccurring symbol in this novel. The book starts off with Jeannette's earliest memory of being on fire. Strangely enough Jeannette isn't afraid of fire afterwards and is instead fascinated by it. Her mother tells her "You can't live in fear of something as basic as fire," (Walls 15). In a way it represents her struggles because even though it almost kills her she isn't afraid and keeps going back and literally and figuratively playing with fire. It destroys many things throughout the novel yet Jeannette acts like a phoenix and is reborn out the ashes each time stronger than before. I believe Walls effectively uses the symbolism of fire to show her purpose of rising and overcoming her past. By strategically mentioning fire in pivotal moments of her life, Walls takes advantage of this symbol and it further validates and expresses the overcoming of her unconventional past.