Glass Castle Vocabulary

Pithy

(Of a language or style) concise and forcefully expressive "If the Type writer keys were clattering away, she was at work on one of her novels, poems, plays, short stories, or her illustrated collection of pithy sayings-one was "Life is a bowl of cherries , with a few nuts thrown in.'"

Shiftless

(Of a person or action) characterized by laziness, indolence, and a lack of ambition "Then grandma would make a snide comment about dad being shiftless."

Matted

(especially of hair or fur) tangled into a thick mass "Her long hair was streaked with gray, tangled and matted, and her eyes had sunk deep into their sockets..."

Dilapidated

(of a building or object) in a state of disrepair or ruin as a result of age or neglect. "Mom and dad moved into a six story flop house in a more dilapidated neighborhood."

Eccentric

(of a person or their behavior) unconventional and slightly strange. "For several years, I had been dating a guy named Eric, a friend of one of Loris eccentric-genius friends, who came from a wealthy family, ran a small company..."

Rubes

A country bumpkin "The announcer got a lot of mileage out of the story, going on about the rubes with their clunker of a vehicle and yapping dog who were making thousands of New York commenters late for work."

Theme

A message or insight about life that the author is expressing (moral)

Memoir

A non fiction narrative composed from a writers personal experiences.

Foragers

A person or animal that stretches widely for food or provisions "Brian and I became foragers. We picked crab apples and wild black berries and pawpaws during the summer and fall, and we swiped ears of corn from old man Wilson's farm. "

Motif

A recurring element with symbolic importance. The repetition develops into a theme.

Feasibility

The state/ degree of being easily/conveniently done "What are the thoughts on the feasibility of flying at the speed of light?"

Symbolism

The use of a concrete image to represent an abstract idea

Literal Image

The use of vivid descriptions using sensory details w/ out any figurative language. The connotation of the description creates a particular mood.

Setting

Time and place of the story, often sets the mood -Battle Mountain, Phoenix, Welch WV, New York

Pilfering

To steal(typically things of relatively little value) "'God doesn't mind you bending the rules if you have a good reason. It's sort of like justifiable homicide. This is justifiable pilfering'".

Juxtaposition

Two opposing descriptions placed close togetherness with a contrasting effect

Addled

Unable to think clearly; confused "But it sounded like gibberish, and everyone thought she was addled except for mom, who understood her perfectly and said she had an excellent vocabulary."

Metaphor

a figurative comparison of two unlike things made without using a direct comparison word.

Yarn

a long or rambling story, especially one that is implausible (Story of nigerous drug dealers disease)"it was a ridiculous yarn".

Stigma

a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person. "Once you go on welfare, it changes you. Even if you get off welfare, you never escape the stigma that you were a charity case. "

Urchin

a mischievous young child, especially one who is poorly or raggedly dressed "I could hear people around us whispering about the crazy drunk man and his dirty little urchin children, but who cared what they thought?"

Gait

a person's manner of walking "He looked more like a cowboy than a West Virginian, with his horseman's gait and his lean leathery face, but as soon as he started speaking, his voice was pure up hollow."

Allusions

a reference to a well-known person/place/thing in order to make a comparison in the readers mind.

Caryatid

a stone carving of a draped female figure, used as a pillar to support the entablature of a Greek or Greek-style building. "A caryatid wouldn't be strong enough for dad."

Nuances

a subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound "We tried to explain that Billy had started it, that we'd been provoked and were defending ourselves and didn't even aim to kill, but the cop wasn't interested in the nuances of the situation."

Caprice

a sudden and unaccountable change of mood or behavior "Had all those years, as well as Mom and Dads time on the street-not to mention their current life an abandoned tenement- been a caprice inflicted upon us by mom?"

Recriminations

an accusation in response to one from someone else (Not hard to put food on table) " 'Now, no recriminations," Lori told him.

Retrospective

an exhibition or compilation showing the development of the work of a particular artist over a period of time. "She'd seen a retrospective of his work and decided he was hugely overrated."

Pariah

an outcast "Kathy was Ginnie Sue Pastors oldest daughter. The other kids treated her like a total Pariah, crowing that her mother was a 'hoor' and called her 'lice girl'."

Broach

raise (a sensitive or difficult subject) for discussion. "I had to come up with a plan and had been waiting for the opportunity to broach it to mom. The moment seemed ripe."

Sodden

saturated with liquid, especially water; soaked through "Once the fire was out and the sodden, burned tree lay smoldering on the floor, we all just stood there."

Evasive

tending to avoid commitment or self-revelation, especially by responding only indirectly. "If she tried, he'd argue and wheedle and sulk and bully and plain wear her down. So she resorted to evasive tactics."

Muckraking

the action of searching out and publicizing scandalous information about famous people in an underhanded way. "He saw himself muck racking gadfly and had mortgaged his brownstone five times to keep The Phoenix going.}"

Noblesse Oblige

the inferred responsibility of privileged people to act with generosity and nobility toward those less privileged "Every time we drove through town in Elvis, I'd nod graciously and smile at the people on the sidewalk, feeling like an heiress. 'You've got true noblesse oblige, mountain goat,' he would say.

Art Deco

the predominant decorative art style of the 1920s and 1930s, characterized by precise and boldly delineated geometric shapes and strong colors, and used most notably in household objects and in architecture. "Eric's apartment had crossbeamed ceilings and a fireplace with an Art Deco mantel."

Characterization

the way the author presents the character to the reader(type of person)

Averted

turn away (one's eyes or thoughts). "The clerks averted their eyes as mom fished the sock out of her bra, explaining to everyone within earshot that this was her way of making sure she was never pickpocketed."

Façade

An outward appearance that is maintained to conceal a less pleasant or creditable reality. "At times like that her cheerful facade would crack, and she'd start crying and confess to Lori that her life in the streets could be hard, jurist really hard. "

Pigeonholed

Assign to a particular category or class, especially in a manner that is too rigid or exclusive "She didn't have a particular style, 'I don't want to be pigeonholed', she said. "

Tone

Attitude of the writer toward a subject Ex: sarcastic/nostalgic/naïve

Pining

Miss and long for a return "Kenny Hall, The Old guy down the street who was still lining away for me, didn't count."

Retrospective(kelly)

Past tense, but an older, wiser narrator is re-telling the story(looking back)

Berth

Provide a sleeping place for someone "That was when I started going back to grandpa and uncle Stanley's apartment for a weekly bath, though when I was there, I made sure to give uncle Stanley a wide berth."

Style of GC

The account focuses on the significance of the relationship between the writer and another individual, thing, or event and is supported by memories of specific experiences.

Agitation

The action of arousing public concern about an issue and pressing action on it "What do you know about the lives of the underprivileged?' She asked. She was practically trembling with agitation."

Concentric

of or denoting circles, arcs, or other shapes that share the same center, the larger often completely surrounding the smaller. "Blue concentric circles appeared around the waist."

Móres

Customs, norms, and behaviors that are acceptable to a society (social mores)

Mood

Emotion or feeling or atmosphere of a literary piece created by descriptions Ex: ominous/ serene

Cantankerous

bad-tempered, argumentative, and uncooperative "After mom and dad left, erma became even more cantankerous."

Monochromatic

containing or using only one color "The stores, signs, sidewalks, cars were all covered with a film of black coal dust, giving the town a monochromatic look, like an old hand tinted photograph."

Indignant

feeling or showing anger or annoyance at what is perceived as unfair treatment "Most of the girls my age spent their afternoons sitting on the brick wall surrounding the armory, combing their hair and touching up thief lip gloss and pretending to get all indignant but secretly loving it if a crew-cut reservist wolf whistled at them."

Resigned

having accepted something unpleasant that one cannot do anything about "'Not happy being in this damn cage, but he's resigned to it, and he's no longer angry. Let's see if he's hungry.'"

Deference

humble submission and respect "Everyone treated me with the deference accorded only to the schools top athletes."

Pointedly

in a direct and unambiguous way, often indicating criticism or displeasure. "Mom looked pointedly at dad and then back at me. She told me I should be nicer to billy."

Ostentatiously

in a pretentious or showy way designed to impress "One day after Mr. Becker had come back from lunch and ostentatiously checked the display cases, I was so furious that I looked around to see if there was anything in the entire darn store worth stealing."

Precariously

in a way that is not securely in position and is likely to fall or collapse "The front, including a drooping porch, jutted precariously into the air, supported by tall, spindly cinder-block pillars."

Invariably

in every case or on every occasion; always. "I felt my shoulders tightening up, the way they invariably did during these convos."(talk to rose)

Convoluted

intricately folded, twisted, or coiled (Talking about the wiring in the house)"He decided it was too convoluted to bother fixing"

Imparting

make (information) known; communicate. "She gave me a serious look, as If imparting a meaningful life lesson I should ponder and absorb."

Galled

make someone feel annoyed "It galled her when they started moving into that section of town, and she always said it was their fault that Welch had gone downhill."

Raucous

making or constituting a disturbingly harsh and loud noise "Moms and dads got into arguments all the time in battle mountain, so it didn't seem that big a deal, but this fight was raucous even by local standards, and so,e people thought they should step in and break it up."

Sporadically

occasionally or at irregular intervals "It had been five years since dad died. I had seen mom only sporadically since then, and she never met John nor been to the old country farmhouse we'd bought the year before."