In the memoir The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls and her family lived in three main places over a thirty year period, the desert, Welch, and New York, all of which were very diverse and contributed to the Walls family in different ways. While living in the desert they are first taught many of their values, and morals, and how their lives are run. In Welch, they are taught to take care of themselves and many of their values are put to the test. In New York, they put themselves to the test, by trying to reach their own goals, and move on from their parents’ lifestyle. All of these places hold very important memories and stories in the memoir; however, it all began in the desert in Phoenix.
Phoenix, Arizona, known for their desert, and being so close to the Grand Canyon, was “home” to Jeannette. To the Wall’s family Phoenix meant seeing Grandma Smith. The desert could be so hot the sand would burn the bottoms of your feet. When the Walls family lived here they were happy. Jeannette was around 3 or 4, and was learning how she was going to live. When she caught herself on fire, she had gone to the hospital and from the ripe age of three was shown exactly how her parents felt about authority, and doing things the “normal” way. “He told me we were going to check out Rex Walls-style” (14). Jeanette was taught that they do things the way they think they should be done, it doesn’t matter what everyone else thinks. While living here the family all gets along for the most part. Lori and mom were always doing stuff with each other, and Brian and Jeannette were always taking care of each other, and going on adventures. In Phoenix they had a decent place to live, and had enough money to have something to eat every night. The kids may have questioned the “skedaddle” all the time but when in Phoenix everything was okay, and they more or less agreed with it. Phoenix was where they wanted to be.
Welch, West Virginia, was not where they wanted to be. In Welch they didn’t always...