The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

The Glass Castle opens up with Jeannette Walls seeing her mother dumpster diving. It also gives a meeting with her mother that illustrates how Jeannette feels towards her parents and how they feel about themselves. Continuing through the story, Walls recounts her childhood. She begins with the time she is three years old and burns herself while trying to cook and the halfway point ends with her hating her grandmother, Erma. Within the long flashback, Walls illustrates the hardships she faces in childhood. Walls tells of the daughter her parents had lost the child they have born. She discusses over 11 places that she has lived and how each ended with her parents running from someone or something. Jeannette Walls describes the people she meets throughout her childhood and the mishaps that occur, such as falling out of the car and her parents not returning for a good amount of time. In addition, Jeannette and her brother defend themselves against the group of Mexican girls as well as the boy, Billy, who claims he raped Jeannette. Jeannette even has to face a group of bulling girls in Welch. Walls also reveals the character of her family members. Her parents have no rules and no cares. Her mother’s priority is her art and her father’s is his booze. As for Wall’s siblings, Lori is fond of their mother, Brian hates their father, and Maureen is treated special. Nevertheless, her parents seem to have some hope since her mother gives good lessons at times and her father quits drinking (for a short period of time) for Jeannette’s birthday present.

                I am enjoying the book tremendously. I love the detailed memories Walls portrays and the story she tells as a whole. I find the attitude of her parents unbelievable and conflicting. It is unbelievable because they seem to barely care for scary events such as perverts sneaking into their house for the children or the hunger their children face. However, my attitude towards them is also conflicting because they seem to have moments where they shine. For example, Rex saves the children in multiple instances and quits drinking for his children. Nonetheless, my attitude towards her parents is more that it is unbelievable because Rex begins to drink again and her mother never seems to care. Though the book is upsetting, due to the opening chapter I believe it will be an empowering book. It seems like it will illustrate a feminist because Jeannette, despite society and her family, creates a life for herself and finds the rights and privileges she deserves. It is interesting to see how Jeannette is an opposite of her mother because her mother allows Rex to control and abuse her. While in opposing character, Jeannette stands up for herself and creates a better life. I find the book and Jeannette’s story riveting. The part that I believe that truly illustrated to me that the book is impactful is on Christmas night when she writes, “…we all had out own ways of shutting down and closing off, and that was what we did that night” (115).

                                                                                                                                                Entry 1 of 2
                                                                                                                                  A Girl and Her Heels

Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar (entry 3)

            Esther represents a woman oppressed by society in her time. Esther expects more from her life and dreams of the future she wants. However her dream drives her mad because she cannot reach it. In the second half of the book Esther spirals even more until she finally ends up in a facility. Within the facility she recognizes what she must do to be free. Esther then sleeps with Irwin to go against the double standard of purity that society holds. In a personal reaction to this event, I thought Esther had lost it even more but for her it was a release of the hold society has on her. Another example of how the hold is released is the comparison of the symbolism of the Bell Jar (symbolizing her madness) from the beginning of the second half to the end. At first Esther feels as if she “would be sitting under the same glass bell jar, stewing in her own sour air” (185). In the end the jar is lifted and the hold is released. However, it still hangs over her waiting to drop at any moment.            

                Esther is a prime example of a woman oppressed by society in her time because of this bell jar that hangs over her. Esther cannot choose her future because of society ad that drives her mad because if she takes her path then she would be a lonely harlot for choosing a career and losing her virginity. Though this view of women needing to have a certain role is not near as strong as it was in the 1950s I believe women still have a double standard with purity and marriage. In the purity sense, men are still seen as those who can do what they want when they please. However, if women were to do so they would be seen in society as harlots. In the aspect of marriage, I feel as if women are still expected to be pure when they are married but the men are not expected to be or that women are more appealing to men if they are pure for marriage. Again, this view is not as strong as it was in the time setting of The Bell Jar but I still believe it exists.  Feminism believes that the sexes should receive equality. However with the views of purity and marriage, both in the Bell Jar and in society today, I believe that it would be hard to fight such beliefs that have been present for so long. Esther tries to fight the beliefs but ends up almost dead, in a facility, and trapped in a bell jar.

Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar (entry 2)

                In the second half of the novel, Esther begins to spiral into a deeper depression when she returns home. She begins to not be able to sleep, eat, read, or write. Her signs of hollowness and beginning of insanity release her to a psychiatrist, Dr. Gordon. However, Dr. Gordon acts as if nothing is wrong with Esther and performs improper shock treatments. After devastating her mother on her depression Esther refused to return. Days following Esther feels the same and realizes she is spiraling down due to not being able to sleep, eat, read, or write. This causes her to try to commit suicide through cutting, hanging, drowning, and her final attempt pills. Esther hides and takes pills and is not found until days later. After which she is sent to a hospital asylum, where she is kicked out. However, the famous novelist Philomena Guinea takes Esther to a private facility after seeing her in the news. Within the private facility many events occur. Esther begins to trust her new psychiatrist Doctor Nolan because she receives injections instead of shock treatments. Joan, a person from her past, even end up coming to the facility as a patient herself. Throughout her stay, Esther begins to improve and is moved to a better house, Belsize. However, Esther then must receive shock treatments but this time they end up working. Following the treatments Esther seems to improve. She finds an opportunity to receive her freedom by going to get birth control. She feels even more free when she loses her virginity to a man she randomly meets, Irwin. She has an incident afterwards and asks for Joan’s help. This event scares Joan and she must return to the asylum along with Esther’s return. After only a day or so of being back, Joan commits suicide by hanging herself in the woods. The suicide of Joan causes Buddy to return and asks if he causes women to go mad because he dated both Joan and Esther. Buddy’s visit causes Esther to realize she will never be married because she has been in an asylum. In the end, Esther enters to be interviewed to be released from the asylum.

Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

    Sylvia Plath illustrates a woman, Esther Greenwood, who is trying to decide her future in New York City with a group of other women who had won the fashion magazine contest. Esther's days are planned out for her but she tries to go away from the norm and plan her own time such as going off with Doreen by the hand of a strange man, Lenny. However, throughout her time Esther begins to spiral into a depression illustrated by comparing herself to other women present, crying for no reason, and focusing on her mistakes. One of the mistakes she focuses on is narrating the time she had with the man she was told to marry, Buddy Willard. She discusses the man she thought him to be, pure, and the man he really was, a hypocrite. While reflecting back, Esther realizes she has never truly been happy since she was nine years old, though she seems to have a moment of happiness with Constantin. From then on she begins to spiral, from avoiding set events to almost letting a man, Marco, take advantage of her and abuse her.

   Though Esther seems to be becoming a bit strange and depressed, I believe there is hope due to the flickers of happiness. Esther seems to have a moment of happiness when spending time with Constantin and if he were to return then her happiness would return with him. However she seems to be broken halfway through the book when she has her encounter with the women hating man, Marco. I am routing for Esther to pull through and find happiness but with what she wants compared to what society wants for her, it seems as if that is a far reach.

   Esther illustrates the views of a feminist. Esther does not believe in marriage the way it is meant to be because she finds it unfair that a man is expected to stay pure but a man did not have to or could even trick their wives as Buddy almost tricked her. Esther also relates to feminism because she wants to be empowered and make her own path. She also does not want to feel forced to serve men which she discusses, "...I hated the idea of serving men in any way. I wanted to dictate my own thrilling letters" (76). In her time women's dreams were to find a husband and be the perfect wife. However, Esther wants to choose her own dream as she states in the quote presented. I see society as a factor in her spiraling depression due to her opposing view of what a woman should want. Everyone is pulling her in one direction but she wishes to go in another. With the restraints of society, she cannot go her own way. I believe Sylvia Plath illustrates the beginning of a feminist. Esther breaks away from the standard because she denies the act of marriage and recognizes the unequal aspects of both marriage and society. Feminist recognize and fight against the inequality of the sexes. However, Esther cannot seem to find the strength to fight and instead spirals into depression.