The Glass Castle Characters & Character Analysis

The Glass Castle Important People

Jeannette Walls

Jeanette Walls was only three when she suffered third degree burns over a large portion of her body. Jeannette was boiling hotdogs for her lunch when her dress caught on fire. Jeannette often cooked her own meals from the time she was a small child because her parents had a unique outlook on life. They felt that children should be allowed to care for themselves, so that the restrictions of the adults around them would not stifle their development. Jeannette's mother especially subscribed to this philosophy because of the discipline her teacher mother applied to herself and her brother. Jeannette remained in the hospital for a short time before her father decided she had been there long enough and snuck her out of the hospital against medical advice. This, too, was behavior that was typical of her father, who often rebelled against what he saw as the government establishment.

Jeannette...
(read more)