I am so happy that the Walls children made it to New York. It made me so happy that they made the decision to go. I think that if they never went, the kids would still be living the life style they grew up with in Welch. I am so happy that Jeannette made a fresh start and made her dreams come true in New York just as the song by Alicia Keys says.
When Jeannette said the exact street address she lived in, I could not resist looking it up. She lived on 93 Little Hobart Street, Welch, West Virginia 24801. I looked it up, and I found a picture of the house and a map of the town, Welch. I was so excited that I could match a picture to her descriptions!
Although I can't be positive that the image I found of her house is correct, all the characteristics match her description. The map shows all the roads and buildings that she talked about such as the, " .... grand limestone courthouse with a big clock tower.", McDowell Street, and Court Street. I was fascinated when I saw the maps of the places she was talking about. I felt that from that moment on I was more connected to the book and to Jeannette.
Rex Walls, Jeannette's father, often asked his four children: "Have I ever let you down?" After Christmas one year, I'm surprised that neither Jeannette nor her siblings told him yes. One year, the Walls family decided that they would celebrate Christmas. They would have it on Christmas morning and actually buy presents for one another. I was really excited when I read this because I wanted for the Walls children to feel like the other children all across the country on Christmas. Mom took Jeannette, Brian, Lori, and Maureen thrift shopping for weeks before Christmas. Each of them received a dollar to spend on presents. They got a tall, dark, dried out Douglas Fir tree, and they decorated it with Grandma's antique ornaments. As I read page 115 of "The Glass Castle" I got really upset and nervous as I predicted what was to happen next. Dad had been drinking all day long. After he received a brass cigarette lighter from Mom, he said, "Let's really light up this Christmas." As he said that I closed my eyes and did not ever want to continue reading. I just wanted the best for Jeannette and I hated that Dad would ruin everything and ultimately let her down. Dad thrust the lighter on the dried out Douglas Fir and almost immediately the sound of crackling and the smell of smoke filled the air in the house. Mom and the kids were able to put out the fire with water and blankets which ruined all the presents. Dad was just laughing on the sofa during it all. Why did he have to ruin a Christmas that could have been one of the best memories the Walls children could of had during their child hood? In Jeannette's words:
"No one tried to wring Dad's neck or yell at him or even point out that he'd ruined the Christmas his family had spent weeks planning---the Christmas that was supposed to be the best we'd ever had."
"Set Fire to the Rain" by Adele
I believe that the lyrics of this song not only relate to the situation of Dad lighting the tree on fire, but the relationship between Dad and his family. I think that Dad's drinking problem creates a side to him that the children neither want to see nor believe.
Mom said that she was pregnant for twelve months with her fourth child. I did some research. It is sometimes possible to have a pregnancy for up to ten months; however, twelve is extremely uncommon. Below I have a link that proves it is possible. Although it is possible, I think that Mom was being over dramatic. She probably was pregnant for nine months just like every average pregnancy and just lost count of her months along the way. Whether or not the pregnancy was twelve or nine months long, Maureen turned out to be just fine.
"Years from now, when all the junk they got is broken and long forgotten," Dad said, "you'll still have your stars."
As I read Jeannette Walls describe her Christmas experience, I began to realize how special her parents really were. Christmas has always been my favorite holiday because of all the fun, family traditions such as baking cookies, finding the perfect tree, and opening Christmas presents on Christmas morning. My family has always had enough money for the ideal Christmas. On the other hand, the Walls family barely had enough money to buy food, but Jeannette's parents seemed to always make something out of nothing. Her father always made his children happy despite the lack of money. He individually took his children into the dessert and said that they could choose any star they wanted. That would be their Christmas present. I just think that was simply amazing. As I read Jeannette quote her father, it made me smile. Even though their parents had a tough time financially, they seemed to make their family as happy as they possibly could be.
