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.
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