Characters
Who struggles with alcoholism?
How did Lori get to New York?
Jeannette gave her a babysitting job. The parents gave her a ticket to New York when she finished the job.
The glass castle is an extended metaphor that represents...
Hope and Rex's failure to keep his word
Who does Jeannette marry (both names)?
Eric and then John Taylor
What are the two characters who like creating art?
Rose Mary and Lori
What did Jeannette and Brian find and give to their mom and she kept it, saying self-esteem is more important than food?
A diamond ring
The first chapter of the book was a flashback to...
Jeannette seeing her mother digging through the trash
Why do the parents allow the children to roam free in their childhood? What's their philosophy of parenting?
Hands-off philosophy. They believe that children can learn more from their mistakes than from discipline.
What is Brian's profession?
Police officer
Which character stabbed their mother?
Maureen Walls
What are the names of two towns the the Walls family moves to?
Tucson, AZ - Las Vegas, NV - San Francisco, CA - Midland, CA - Blythe, CA - Battle Mountain, NV - Phoenix, AZ - Welch, WV
Give one example of a time Rex used hyperbole (excessive exaggeration) to describe himself or something he did
Could be various answers
- his sickness at the end
- tales when the children were younger of fights he got in, being a war hero, etc
Why does the Walls family keep moving from place to place?
What is Jeannette's chosen profession?
Journalism
Who did Jeannette and Brian catapult rocks at?
Ernie Goad and his friends
How did Jeannette get her scars?
She was burned when she was cookign hot dogs at a young age.
- seems to be telling events as she remembers them
- tells events from a child's perspective
- probably doesn't remember everything, could be lying to sell books
Which parent contributes more to the family's poverty?
Father is an alcoholic
Mother is an addict in her own way and refuses to work
What happened to Maureen?
She stabbed her mother, went to jail, then moved to California once she got out.
Who did Jeannette go to the pool with? This person also killed her stepfather.
Dinitia
What does the Joshua Tree mean to Rose Mary?
Things that pass through difficulty come out more beautiful.
How do the children show resilience?
How do the children break the cycle of poverty?
Moving to a more affluent area where there were jobs and becoming independent, apart from their family