The Glass Castle/Part 3 (sections 1-26)

What was the name of the "escape" money?

"Oz"

What does mom give to Jeannette before she leaves?

$200 for groceries and bills.

How does the author describe her paternal grandmother, Erma?

A hard woman, who sends them to the basement of the house to stay until the family can find another place to live.

In early spring after the grandmother's death what do Jeannette and Brian find underneath a piece of rotting lumber in their yard?

A two-carat diamond ring.

Why was Dad not aware of his wounds?

Because he was drunk.

Why does it take the family so long to reach Welch, West Virginia?

Because their car is a run down clunker that can't go over 20 miles per hour.

Why is Jeannette and her siblings always hungry?

Because their dad often can't get a job.

How does Jeannette feel now attending the high school?

Better because the school is larger and she is less visible target for bullies. Her friend, Dinitia, also attends.

What happens after the bullies cycle away from the Walls' home?

Brian and Jeannette form a plan to turn an abandoned mattress on the ridge above their house into a catapult. They fill it with rocks, using some rope they wing the rocks at Ernie and his gang when they return.

What alerts Jeannette to the wrongdoing by Erma?

Brian is crying when Jeannette enters the room.

What happens to the "escape" money that Jeannette, Lori and Brian pooled for Lori to go to NY City?

Dad stole it.

What does Erma do to Brian?

Erma asks Brian into her room to fix a torn seam of his pants, but instead of fixing his pants she touches his private parts.

What was common in Welch?

Fights, and the Walls kids often band together for self-defense.

What does dad after the funeral?

He goes on a four-day drinking binge and on the fourth day Mom sends Jeannette into town to find him.

When Dad comes home late one night what does Jeannette see?

He has big gashes in his face and forearm.

Who is Ernie Goad?

He is a bully.

Why did Uncle Stanley decide not to drive Jeannette to Dinitia's house?

He learns that Dinitia lives in the black part of town, she is African-American, and he is prejudice.

What part of her body distresses her?

Her bucked teeth.

Where does Jeannette find him?

In the fourth bar she goes to. He insists taking a few more shots of whisky before leaving.

What is a highlight of her career?

Interviewing Chuck Yeager, a famous Air Force pilot. Even her dad was excited by the project and coaches her through the process from coming up with questions to writing the actual article.

How does Jeannette describe the new home?

It had no plumbing, only three rooms, a leaky roof in the kitchen.

What is the one good thing about wintertime?

It hides their body and clothing odor.

What does Jeannette say to her grandmother who is prejudice?

Jeannette confronts her grandmother as her parents always taught her to do.

How does Jeannette and Lori feel about their mom after her breakdown?

Jeannette is convinced her mother must be stronger, but Lori sympathizes with their mother's situation.

What does Jeannette do to stop the bullying?

Jeannette knows her parents can't help, her father is always drunk and her mom won't. So she sees the good side of Dinitia and when she sees a little African-American boy being chased by a dog, Jeannette scares the dog off and gives the child a piggy back ride. Dinitia witnesses this rare act of interracial kindness and befriends Jeannette.

How did Lori get to escape anyway?

Jeannette's babysitting clients invited her to come with their family to Iowa for the summer in exchange for $200 and a bus ticket back to Welch. Jeannette suggests the family takes Lori instead and to send her to NY instead of Welch.

The Walls live in the poorest neighborhood in Welch and they are the poorest family. Do they accept help?

No. Other families accepted support from food stamps and church clothing drives. Jeannette's mom reminds them that other families have it harder and Jeannette decides the Pastor family has it the worst because the mother, Ginnie Sue Pastor, is the town *****.

What did Jeannette learn about "whoring" at Ginnie Sue Pastor's house?

Nothing except that it puts food on the table. Jeannette went to the Pastor house to clean a chicken with Mrs. Pastor and her daughter Kathy. She was curious to learn about "whoring."

Why does Jeannette read?

Reading comforts her; she loves to read stories about other people like her, who suffer hunger and poverty, to see how they make it through their lives.

Why does Lori read?

Reading is a form of escape and she immerses herself in fantasy novels.

What does Robbie do to Jeannette?

Robbie, drunk and attracted to Jeannette, drags her to his upstairs apartment.

What happens to Jeannette in 10th grade?

She becomes Editor of the school newspaper.

What happens to Jeannette in 11th grade?

She becomes Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper and writing most of the paper because she has a hard time recruiting staff members.

When mom and Lori return that summer, rested and happy, what does mom say?

She doesn't want to go back to work.

How did becoming editor-in-chief help Jeannette?

She gains some ground socially as other kids are willing to talk to her if it means they can get their names in the school paper.

What happens the first day of 5th grade to Jeannette?

She gets beat up by a group of girls, led by a young African-American girl, Dinitia Hewitt, at recess.

What does Lori (13 years old now) do when she learns what Erma did to Brian?

She gets into a physical and verbal fight with Erma.

Just before school let's out what happens to mom?

She has a breakdown and refuses to go to work.

Describe Maureen?

She has blonde hair, blue eyes, and charm.

What does she do for the school newspaper?

She is a proofreader and spends hours at the local newspaper, which prints the school newspaper. She reads articles off the AP wire and loves to learn about the outside world through a source other than her parents.

What does Jeannette do when Robbie takes her upstairs?

She is furious that her dad allowed it to happen and only manages to escape Robbie by showing him her burn scars.

What does Jeannette do after her dad tries to convince her to stay in Welch?

She leaves town taking the morning bus out of Welch and to New York City.

What does Erma do to the children after the fight?

She locks them in the basement.

The dilapidated house and trash upsets Jeannette, what does she do about it?

She paints the house when her Dad brings home some extra yellow paint from an odd job.

What is Jeannette's plan?

She plans to apply to colleges in NY City and join Lori after she graduates high school.

What does Jeannette think the reason for Dinitia to stab the mom's boyfriend?

She thinks he was the father of Dinitia's unborn baby.

What does mom do to make things better at the new home?

She tries to make it adventurous, urging everyone to look on the bright side.

What does Jeannette's mother tell Jeannette after the argument she had with her grandmother?

Sometimes it is better to be polite.

What was the plan for Lori, devised by three of them?

That Lori would go to NY City after graduation, get a job first and then apply to Art school, and Jeannette would go the following year when she graduated.

What does Jeannette tell Lori after the film makers tell her to come to New York?

That she has an "escape" fund and that Lori should take it to to NY City after she graduates high school.

What do the film makers tell Lori?

That she is talented and suggest she move to NY City if she is serious about being an artist.

The revenge upon the bullies is known as what?

The Battle of Little Hobart Street.

How does the author, Jeannette Walls, describe the town of Welch?

The Tug River is full of fecal (poop) material, the entire town covered in dust from the mining operations, poor (impoverished).

When Jeannette is in 7th grade what school does she attend?

The area high school and takes the bus to get there.

What happens to the foundation they dig out?

The family uses it to throw their trash into because they cannot afford garbage service.

Who lives in Welch, West Virginia?

Their father's parents, Erma and Ted, and Uncle Stanley.

Where do they get money from that allows them to buy food?

Their mom gets a check from the oil company that leases the land in Texas that she inherited. This gives the family food for a few days.

What did Jeannette and her siblings think would happen when their parents left for Phoenix without them?

They believed their parents would not return and they hated life with Erma.

What does Brian and Jeannette do once dad plots out a spot to build the Glass Castle?

They dig the foundation.

What do Jeannette and Brian do to supplement the lack of food?

They forage for food-either finding berries in the woods or digging through the cafeteria trash at school.

Where does Uncle Stanley and Grandpa move to?

They move to an apartment that has running water, so the family takes to visiting on weekends to bathe.

How did their parents get back to Welch from Phoenix?

They returned by bus because their car broke down and they left all of their belongings behind.

What does Jeannette, Lori, and Brian do for little Maureen for her seventh birthday?

They save up to give her presents and share stories with her about California, where she was born though doesn't remember it.

Jeannette confronts her mother about the decision not to sell the ring and recommends they do what?

They should leave dad so they can go on welfare and get of Welch-it's the only way for the family to survive.

What does the mom agree to do after the visit from child welfare?

To find a job and gets one quickly, but because they can't budget (the money) the family lives very much the same way.

Why did Jeannette's parents drive back to Phoenix?

To pick up belongings they left behind.

Who comes to Welch for a cultural growth project in Appalachia?

Two film makers from New York City.

What is dad's reaction to the make-shift braces?

When Jeannette's dad discovers her wearing her rubber-band and wire contraption he encourages her ingenuity (he is stupid!)

When springtime arrives what is the activity that the Wall children love to do?

With springtime comes longer daylight and they can read longer into the evening. Reading is a form of escape and comfort.

Does her father try to stop her?

Yes he is heartbroken and tries to convince her to stay if he builds the Glass Castle.

Does she like the work at the jewelry store?

Yes, but is disgruntled when she learns another employee receives a store commission (extra money when you sell a piece of jewelry) and she only gets a flat rate pay.

Is Jeannette's mom hopeful to live in this new town?

Yes, she is sure her art career will take off.

Even though she doesn't trust boys does she want to attract them?

Yes.

What happens to Jeannette at school all of the time?

bullying becomes part of Jeannette's daily life.

What does dad do at the funeral?

fidgets with his tie.

What does mom try to get the kids to do at the funeral?

kiss the corpse (dead body).

While Jeannette waits for her turn to shower what happens?

she and her Uncle Stanley are watching tv, and he starts to feel her thigh while playing with his private parts.

After moving into the tiny house on Little Hobart Street, what does dad do?

He plots out a spot to build the Glass Castle.

How does dad try to pay Jeannette back?

He promises to pay her back by taking her to the bar with him and using her youthful looks to distract his fellow pool player, Robbie, so that he can hustle him at pool.

What two things caused Brian and Jeannette to be placed into classes for students with learning disabilities?

1. The mother forgot to get (acquire) the records from their school in Phoenix to give to the new school; 2. The principal asked them simple questions to test their intelligence but because of the difference in accents, Brian and Jeannette couldn't understand the questions and the principal couldn't understand their answers.

The entire family goes to who's funeral?

Erma.

How does the father behave when he learns what happened to Brian?

He acts strangely hysterical about it. Jeannette wonders if Erma had also abused him and if this explains why he never wanted to return to Welch.

What happens as a result of the garbage that is thrown into the hole outside?

It attracts rats and one night Maureen feels a rat crawling near her in her sleep, bu the family dog catches and kills it.

After her dad whips her for talking back to her mother, what does Jeannette vow to herself?

Never to be whipped again and to start saving up to escape Welch as soon as possible, before she graduates from high school if she can.

Does Jeannette stick to her budget?

No because she gives into her dad's requests for cash every time.

Did their dad admit to steeling the money?

No he did not admit to it when he returned home after a three-day binge (drinking).

Does Jeannette's mom agree to leave the dad?

No she does not, however a few weeks later, after a child-welfare officer visits the house, she realizes how bad the situation is.

Does Jeannette's mother stop her?

No, even though she is jealous of Jeannette's plan.

During this time is her Dad home often?

No, he spends days at a time away from home. But he always returns usually with a bag of food, and always with stories of his adventures.

Does she paint the whole house?

No, only partially.

Does Jeannette trust boys?

No.

What does Ernie and his buddies do to Jeannette and Brian?

One day Ernie teases Jeannette about living in trash, and he and his buddies ride their bike over to the Walls' home. They throw rocks through the windows striking Brian.

Who helps Jeannette at the bar?

One of the men at the bar offers to give them a ride home.

What happens to Dinitia in 7th grade?

She becomes pregnant and shortly after stabs her mom's boyfriend to death.

What does Jeannette decide to do after speaking to her guidance counselor?

She consider's leaving Welch at the end of her Junior Year of high school and obtain in-state consideration by going to a New York high school her senior year.

What does she do to repair her teeth?

She creates braces to wear at night after studying orthodontia at the library (uh-oh...not a good idea).

How does Jeannette feed herself and her siblings?

She gets a job at Becker's Jewelry Box.

How does Jeannette's mom react when she learns about Uncle Stanley touching Jeannette.

She is nonplussed (confused, surprised, unsure how to react).

What does Jeannette participate in school in?

She joins the school newspaper and the English teacher her dad had is the supervisor.

What does Jeannette's mom do with the ring?

She keeps to boost her self-esteem instead of selling it to buy food.

What does her grandmother, Erma, say to Jeannette when she returns from Dinitia's house?

She spouts out a bunch of racist talk that upsets Jeannette.

What does she do at the jewelry store when she learns another employee gets a commission?

She steels a watch, but out of guilt she returns it the next day.

What does Jeannette do to her dad's wounds?

She stitches his arm and is terrified to draw the threaded needle through her dad's skin, but she manages a few stitches.

What does Jeannette do after her uncle touches her?

She stops going to the apartment to take showers and does her best to bath at home.

What does mom do to splurge during wintertime?

She takes the kids to the laundromat and they LOVE the warm, cozy hours they spend there.

What does Jeannette do when mom says she's not going back to work?

She talks back at her mom and her mom asks dad to punish her.

What do the children discover their mother was doing?

She was hiding food from them and she had eaten half of a giant chocolate bar and had no intention to share with her children. The children divide the rest amongst themselves.

What does Lori do from NYC?

She writes happy letters back home, waits on tables and lives in Greenwich Village (downtown NYC/artsy area)

What does Jeannette try to prove to Dad that summer?

That he needs a strong woman when her mom goes off to teacher training session for eight weeks and Lori is away at summer camp for gifted students.

What does Jeannette's guidance counselor tell her about her plans to go to NYC College?

That it will be more expensive and more difficult to get into the schools in New York because she would be considered an "out of stater," living in Welch, Virginia.

What is one set of miseries brought on by wintertime?

They are cold. They have a coal stove but often lack coal to burn in it. They fight with each other to sleep with their pet dogs in order to stay warm at night. Their water tap is frozen and they have no way to dry laundry.

What do the parents do after they return to Welch?

They buy a house in the poorest neighborhood of Welch, but mom describes it as "rustic."

After Erma's death what happens to the farmhouse?

Uncle Stanley burns down the farmhouse by falling asleep while smoking a cigarette.

Who in town liked little Maureen?

the Pentecostals in Welch, and they not only care for her, but share with her their religion.