Often our enthusiasm and ideals hinder our perception of reality, and can influence our liveliness in the society. The significance of our ideals can either be astonishing or deplorable, and the truth of that ideal one renders, can transform our lives for better or worse. The memoir of Jeannette Walls in The Glass Castle captures both the splendor and regret that surround her past and present life (Lewis 98). In life, we accept the truths that align well with our aspirations as we advance our achievement. Truth has close ties with our aspirations and we cannot favor a convenient lie. The novel highlights that the affects of the people around us can either be catastrophic or successful in the pursuit of own ideology.
Jeannette offers a lot about the significance of idealism and truth in The Glass Castle and its effect in the community (Bell 127). In her memoir, Walls had an interesting childhood experience. Jeannette receives a lot of encouragement to study hard in school and this nurtures her creative side. Together with the rest of the siblings, the parents teach them to fend for themselves. Jeannette together with the other siblings experiences the thrill of unpredictable parenting. This happens due to unpredictable lifestyle that the Wall family encounters daily. The children master the harsh condition such as eluding the hospital due to lack of money and this offers them excitement compared to their peers. The parents’ negligent behavior does not hinder the prosperity of the children. The children grow up educated and strong, since they contain wisdom that is beyond their years. Jeannette resents the alcoholism perpetrated by Rex and feels that the father lets the family down by worsening instead of rectifying situations. Jeanette idealism is also affected by her mums way of not maintain the job that can enable her provide for the family. The resentments posed in her life make her independent and determined to avert the current hardship situation to better her life as well as the siblings. In light of this, she manages to transform her life since she poses a budding career in Journalism and moves to the upper-middle class.
Rex has a strong belief in the truth coupled with a sense of responsibility. Rex is an intellectual who passionately pursues electrical and engineering disciplines. He thinks independently as he invents contraception in the hope the family will become prosperous. The past and the present suffering pose limitation in the ideals of Rex (Kinsella 20). Rex suffers sexual abuse as a child coupled with the recent problem of alcoholism makes Rex incapable of upholding his ideals of self-sufficiency. The notions of masculinity and the role of Rex as the breadwinner are the ideals that drive him to drinking and the situation of desperation. Rex lived in denial of the truth and this deprived him of the reality of something to live for. Jeannette idealizes his father during the fire incidence. In this incident, the father elaborates a physics concept that there are no rules that exist in the boundary between turbulence and order. The father’s ideology steers Jeanette in the declaration that the flame of candle borders turbulence and order. Rex escapes from the hospital with young Jeannette and fails to pay the hospital bill courtesy to an insolvent life. This ideology enable Jeanette to have a strong character that enable her succeed in life together with her siblings. Jeannette pursues the father ideology since she learns to be self reliant to survive in life. Rex has an ideology of hope to build a castle for the family. Even though the dream is fanatical, Jeannette has hope in the ideology and firmly believes what the father says. Rex has an endearment to Jeanette and gives her a nickname that suggests endurance in the face of trouble. This ideology enables success in her pursuit in life Jeannette has persistence and a spirit of endurance to plan for a stable future.
Rose Mary Walls values self-sufficiency since she has little compassion for the people who complain concerning every situation in life (Kinsella 20). Rose believes that people are solely liable to make their future better or worse. Rose resents teaching since it inhibits the exploration of her talent in painting or sketching. Rose resents her children since they prevent her pursuing her dream life fully, at the same time she cherishes them taking care of her in her old age.
With this in mind, I will analyze the concurrence of reality and idealism in my own life. With the example of my personal ambition of one day enrolling in law school and becoming an Advocate.
In conclusion, I firmly believe that idealism and truth can propel anyone’s life. This is because harsh situation can motivate people to preserve and finally access success. The significance of idealism and the truth in one’s life is huge when one chooses to act solely from the heart. I believe anyone can strive as Jeannette did in the face of neglect by the parent she chose to remain focus to make her dream life a reality. Jeanette idealism, passion and truth demonstrated in her life enabled her achieve success in reality.
Works Cited
Bell-Russel, Danna. "The Glass Castle." Library Journal 130.18 (2005): 127
Kinsella, Bridget."Media Flocks to Scribner's ‘Glass Castle’." Publishers Weekly 252.6 (2005): 20
Lewis, Andy. "Jeannette Walls." Hollywood Reporter 22 (2013): 98.
