The Glass Castle (The Desert #6 - Welch #4) Quiz Review

What happens to the foundation that Rex digs for the glass castle? What does this symbolize?

All their trash gets thrown in the class castle and this symbolizes the family and Rex trashing their dreams of building the glass castle.

How does Rex Walls plan to turn the house on Little Hobart Street into a glass castle?

After being thrown out of his parent's house, Rex purchases a house on Little Hobart Street. Even though the house is a mess, he plans to build the glass castle that he had been planning and dreaming of for years. He planned to start working on the house right away and he also understood that was going to need to make some changes to the plans with the size of the solar cells now that that they are on the north side of a mountain.

How does Brian react to Rose Mary's request for forgiveness? Do you think that this is the first time she's done this? Why or why not?

He pulls up the blanket, grabs the chocolate, splits it up into four pieces, and gives it to all the kids. Rosemary was getting heavier and this might indicate that this is not the first time this is happening.

What do you think of the Rose Mary's action of secretly eating chocolate while her children are hungry? What does it reveal about her character?

I think that this is very selfish action on Rosemary. It reveals her selfishness and how her priorities are more concerned about herself, than her children.

How does each family member react to Rex's attempt to get sober?

Most of the Walls family reacts with comments about this not being the first time that he has tried to go sober, and them believing that he is going to go straight back to drinking again. Although, Jeannette feels that her dad is going to stick with it and is the only one that believes in him.

Does the fact that Hitler loved dogs redeem him in our eyes? Why or why not?

No, the fact that Hitler loves dog does not redeem him in our eyes because we have learned and studied about the horrible events of the Holocaust and the horrible actions and deaths that Hitler controlled and caused. He killed thousands, if not millions, of innocent people just because of their beliefs and so therefore, any good in him, let alone him loving dogs, is not going to make up for the inhumane things that he has done to Europe and the whole world.

What gift does Jeannette want for her tenth birthday? Why?

She asks Rex to stop drinking for her birthday. She asks him to stop drinking because she feels as though it would make Rosemary much happier, the family would have more money, and Jeannette also feels like Rex's drinking causes a lot of commotion in their family.

Why does Rose Mary send Jeannette out to find her father, and not one of the other children?

She claims that Jeannette is Rex's favorite child and that she is the only one that will be able to find him and bring him back home.

Why does Rose Mary compare her act of eating chocolate to Rex's drinking? Are they the same?

She compares the two so that the children would find it more serious than it is and so that the kids will forgive her. Although, they are not the same because one is a very hard addiction to escape from, but the other one is just eating sweets, and eating in general is a necessity that he is

How does Jeannette react to being described as the daughter of the town drunk? Why does she react this way?

She was very mad when the man calls Rex the town drunk because she is offended because she knows that it is true, but she still has pride in her family and Rex, and doesn't want to think of him like that

Why would the Walls children be raised to be suspicious of government officers?

The Walls children were raised to be suspicious of government officials because they were always running away from them, and this is what Rex had always taught them.

In what state does the family leave the house in Phoenix? Why?

The Walls family leaves their house in Phoenix as if someone was still living there. In order to trick burglars into thinking that someone was living there they left dishes in the sink, clothes on the line, etc.

Why doesn't the Walls family ever get to the Grand Canyon?

The Walls family never make it to the Grand Canyon because on their way there, Rex wanted to impress the kids with how fast he could drive the car. And once they went over 100mph, the car started to break down. Eventually, it broke down and they were left without a car and couldn't make it to the final destination of the Grand Canyon.

Why do the girls beat up Jeannette

The girls beat up Jeannette at recess because the girls questioned if Jeannette thought that she was better than the rest of the girls, and when she responded that she thought that they were equal the girls were not happy. Once Jeannette said this, a girl questioned that fact that Jeannette though she was as good as this girl and then proceeded to punching her and beating her up.

Why doesn't the principal believe Rose Mary's assertion that her children are gifted?

The principal at the school in Welch does not agree with Rose Mary's assertion that her kids are gifted because he asks simple math questions, but because of his string southern accent, the kids are unable to understand what he is asking. And once Rose Mary translates for them and they respond, because of their accent, the principal cannot understand them. Because of the misunderstanding and not being able to communicate without the translation of Rose Mary, he decides to go against Rose Mary's assertion that they are gifted and places them into special classes because of he "slowness" and "speech impediments" that the he thought that they had.

Why doesn't Jeannette tell her parents about the bullying? What do you think they would do if they did know?

she decides not to tell her parents first for the reason that her mom might give her a long lecture on finding the good in people and not making these judgments on people after one day. Then, she also reveals to the reader that she is afraid that if she tells her parents about the girls bullying her in school, that her mom will try to butt her way into the situation and cause more problems than there already are.

What is your opinion of Rose Mary's assertion that sexual assault is a matter of perception? What burden does this statement place on Jeannette?

I think that It is very irresponsible because sexual assault is a very serious action and events, and saying that Jeannette perception of this is making it worse, is very irresponsible because she is almost making it seem like it is okay and it might affect her in her future with sexual assault.

What do you think of Rose Mary Walls' assertion that everyone possesses redeeming qualities?

I think that Rose Mary having this idea that there is always something good in everyone is a good quality to having to a certain degree. Along with being able to see everyone in a positive light, Rose Mary is also able to have compassion for a lot of people. When she finds the good in people with smaller downfalls is a good time to have this quality, but I think that it went "overboard" when she thought of something positive for Hitler.

Why does Dinita finally stop bullying Jeannette?

Dinita finally stops bullying and beating up Jeannette when she sees Jeannette carrying her neighborhood boy home. After Jeanette found a little boy being cornered by a dog, she helped the little boy out of the scary situation and then brought him home. This is very uncommon in this area and during this time because there was a lot of racism so Dinita found it very kind of Jeannette to help out a black boy, when she was white, and there is so much judgement for doing something like that.

Why do Erma and Lori get into a fight?

Erma and Lori get into a fight when Jeannette and Lori find Erma sexually abusing Brian. They come upstairs to find this horrific scene, and when Erma starts to say that Jeannette's accusations are false, Lori knows that Jeannette was telling the truth. Erma went to go slap Jeannette, but when Lori tried to calm them down, she gave up and slapped Erma back. This then led into a full fight, until Uncle Stanley came in and pushed them apart.

Why do you think Erma spent so much time preparing for her own funeral?

Erma might have spent so much time preparing for her own funeral because she was really selfish, and we also see that she has had a hard life, and if this is something that she can have 100% control of, she is going to plan it to a t. She is going to take control of this because it is the only thing that she can have complete control of.

What effect does Rose Mary's job have on their standard of living? Why don't things improve more than they do?

Even though Rosemary's new job is bringing in $700 a month, we quickly learn from Jeannette's point of view that this money is not changing their way of life very much. All the kids think and it appears that the family has enough money to have a slightly better life with more food, better clothing, and possibly a better house, but Jeannette notices that the money is quickly gone, and they are back to their normal way of life, like before Rosemary even had a job.

Why does Jeannette hate the man from child welfare, even though her own parents don't take proper care of her?

Even though her parents don't take proper care of her, and she knows that, Jeannette already hates the man from child welfare because she doesn't like the idea of her family splitting up.

Why does the family no longer have the sense of solidarity they had in Battle Mountain? What has changed?

In Welch, there is a lot more division between the members of the family, which was different than the way things were like in Battle Mountain in Phoenix.

What does Rose Mary do with the diamond? What does this reveal about her? What should she have done?

Instead of turning it in for money that could really help their family, Rosemary decides that she is going to keep the ring for herseflf. This reveals that she is a very selfish character. She should have turned that ring in for money, because even for how ever much it is worth, it could have helped their family tremendously (because they are so poor), but she chooses to forgo this option and just keep it for herself.

How do children react to Rose Mary's weekly refusal to go to work?

It appears the children react to Rosemary's weekly refusal as if it is a normal thing that happens very often, which we soon learn that it is. When she would throw a tantrum and refused to go to work, Lori, Brian, and Jeannette would get her all ready and "collected" and even brought her down the street where the woman who picked her up would be waiting for her.

Is the parents' refusal to accept handouts consistent with some of their previous behaviors? Why or why not?

It is consistent with their ideas that they want to be self-sufficient, but it is also ironic that they do not accept handouts, but they rationalize shoplifting when they are in need.

What is ironic about Rose Mary's assertion that welfare will psychologically damage her children?

It is ironic when Rosemary claims that welfare would "psychologically damage her children" because having welfare and receiving that will allow her kids to have the basic means for survival and it would also allow them to live a life without worrying about where there next meal is coming from, or the question of if they are eve having a next meal or not. Their current way of life is more dangerous than receiving child welfare.

Why is Jeannette more comfortable with Dinitia than she is with white children?

Jeannette is more comfortable with Dinita, who is a black girl in Welch, than she is with white children because she had become close with Dinita, more than she has with any other white kid in town. Additionally, Jeannette is able to feel for Dinita as Jeannette is usually feeling like the one "out of place" in all the town that she has lived before, and she knows that Dinita, being a black girl in Welch, might possibly be going through the same thing because their town is so segregated and divided.

Why does Jeannette react so strongly to the lady's description of the Walls as poor?

Jeannette reacts very strongly to the women's assertion that the Walls family is poor because she took it the wrong way because she thought the woman was calling her poor like with lack of food and supplies, but in reality, she was using the word poor to express how she felt bad for them that they were walking all the way home.

When Jeannette sews up her father's wound, what could this suggest symbolically? What cannot be so easily mended in her own life?

Jeannette sewing up her fathers wound symbolizes Jeanette always trying to fic things, but her childhood is not always mendable like Rex's wound.

Why does Jeannette try to paint the house? What happens to her efforts? Why don't the other family members help her?

Jeannette wants to paint the house because painting the house might cheer I up and make it more like other houses on the street. Although, no one helped her, and when she tried to do it on her own, she was only able to paint a little section because that all she could reach. The other family members don't hep her because they don't care about how it looks.

Why don't Rex and Rose Mary take the kids' side against Erma? What does this suggest about Rex's childhood with Erma?

Like stated above, Rose Mary is not defending her kids with the Erma debates because they are really depending a lot of Erma for food, water, shelter, so if she takes the side of the kids and agrees with them about how mean or careless Erma is, she is risking getting thrown out, and if they are thrown out, they have nothing to rely on. As of now, Erma is their only source of essential resources that they cannot risk losing. This may suggest that Rex was also abused similarly to this as a child.

What reason does Rex give for refusing to work in the mines, the only place where locals can find work? Do you believe him?

Rex claims that he should not work in the mine because they were controlled by the unions, and the unions were controlled by the mob, and the mob had blackballed him for investing corruption in the electricians union back in Phoenix. I don't believe this because it just sounds like another Rex made-up response when there is something that he doesn't want to do.

Why does Rex force his children to beg him to come with them to West Virginia?

Rex forces his kids to beg for him to come to West Virginia with them because if they beg for him, he will have this feeling that he is once again, the man and hero of the household and that everyone wants him to come with them. His children are slowly starting to see him for who he really is and so having them beg for him to come makes him think that they still see him as a hero.

How is Rex Walls like or not like his family members?

Rex is like his family because they are all alcoholics, but they are also different because Rex has love for his family and children, which Erma doesn't not seem to have for her family.

What is Rex's family like? How does Jeannette react to them?

Rex's family, who they are staying with in Welch are a bunch of alcoholics. Erma, Rex's mom is a very strict woman who doesn't want to be called grandma, because it makes her sound old. Rex's dad is a more mellow man and is slightly more inviting to the Walls family than Erma. Then, Uncle Stanley, Rex's brother is someone who is an alcoholic and from what we have seen from him so far, you can tell that he is a pedophile. At first, Jeannette thinks that these people were a funny prank that Rex was pulling on them because of how mean and crazy they were, but when she realized that it wasn't a prank, she was concerned for her family and very apprehensive to staying there.

Why does Rose Mary decide the family needs to move to West Virginia?

Rose Mary decides that the family needs to move to West Virginia because Rex's parents might have an influence or power on him to help him stop drinking and she also believes that Rex's parents might be able to help them out financially as well.

What does Rose Mary tell her children about Erma's childhood? Why do you think she shares this information with them?

Rose May tells her kids that Erma has had a rough childhood with being an orphan after she was loved by her father but then passed around by relatives who didn't love her and treat her well (or as well as her father did). Rose Mary tells this to her kids in hopes that they will start behaving and be more compassionate to Erma.

Why does Rose Mary decide to get a job?

Rosemary finally decides to get a job because she is scared that if the child welfare man comes back again, and she doesn't have a proper job, then the kids might be taken away from her.

With neither parent working, how does the family survive financially?

Rosemary gets a check every now and then from land that she had that would be mined for oil, and they would receive money for that.

Why does Rose Mary see the destitution of the town of Welch as an opportunity to establish herself as an artist?

Rosemary sees the destitution of the town of Welch as an opportunity to establish herself as an artist because she sees and notices that there are not many other artists living her that would be her competition, so she thinks that this is a great opportunity for her to establish herself as an artist here.

Why does Jeannette love the novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?

She connected a lot with the main character and that she identified with the hardships that this character had to face with her father, similarly to Jeannette.

Why is it getting harder for Jeannette to believe in her father?

She is growing up, which is making her realize that he father is not as realistic as he may have seemed when she was a child, and its also that he had disappointed her with the Glass Castle and its hard to believe her.

What were some of the Walls children's strategies for finding food?

They would pick things out of the trash in the bathroom, they are searching in vacant housing, they go their friends house around a mealtime, and they are also experimenting with wild plants in the forest.

What is illustrated by the feud between the Walls and the Goads? Why do you think the author includes this story?

This feud between the Walls and the Goads is symbolic of the way that they are not accepted, even in a poor community like Welch, r any community they live in. She included this because even though this was her home for the longest time, they were never accepted, and it was never really "home".

What reasons are given for the hardness of life in Welch?

Welch is a hard town to live in because they have an economic disadvantage because they relied so much on coal mining that aren't there anymore. There is a lot of substance is rapid and the typography of the land is hard to live on there.

Why don't the Walls go back to Phoenix?

When Jeannette asks Rose Mary on why they can't just move back to Phoenix where they have a house and nice life, Rose Mary claims that they have been there, done that, and there are also more opportunities in Welch that they don't even know about yet.

What happens to Rex when he locks himself into the bedroom?

When Rex is locked in the bedroom, the readers assume that he is hiding from the kids because he is going through withdrawal. During this time, Rex is very vulnerable, and he locks himself away so that Jeannette and the other kids don't lose the idea that their dad is always tis strong hero.

Describe Jeannette's history class. What does it imply about the quality of public education in West Virginia?

the class is just the teacher standing in the front of the room with a map of West Virginia, pointing at all of the counties, and having the students identify them. This situation and classroom atmosphere can show the reader that the quality of public education in West Virginia is very low and it is not going to be the best if Jeannette wants to academically succeed.