Lydia 1

Mr. S

Gifted English 9

17 January 2017

Perpetual Immaturity

Jeannette Walls reveals the ceaseless realities of poverty and tells of her triumph in escaping from them through

her memoir The Glass Castle. She shares these same struggles with her mother, Rose Mary Walls, her father, Rex

Walls, and her three siblings, Lori, Brian, and Maureen Walls. Like most children, Jeannette and her siblings look

up to their parents and learn to mature from their behavior. Instead, the Walls children learn to mature from their

parents mistakes and the fact that their parents are a hinderance in their own lives. One major influence of the

childrens independence is their mothers childlike behavior toward responsibility. Rose Mary Walls handles any

situation thrown at her as a child would and rejects any responsibility she is given. With this, Rose Mary takes on an

adolescent stance from which she will never mature, leaving her children to stand in her place as the adults who are

left to clean up any mess she leaves behind,. Her behavior affects all aspects of their life especially in three different

occurrences in The Glass Castle including The Desert, Welch, and New York.

The ubiquitous demeanor Rose Mary retains continuously affects the Walls family daily. One key moment of

Rose Mary displaying childlike behaviors is, It was the middle of the night, and Mom bolted out of the car and ran

into the darkness, (Walls 43). In this scene Jeannette and her family are on the move once again and while in the

car, the case of how long Rose Mary carries a child when pregnant comes up. Once the argument between her and

Rex arrives at an aggressive point, she avoids facing a position where Rex will prove her to be fallacious, so she gets

out of the car and runs. When confronted with a difficult situation involving a child arguing, there's a certain point

where they feel trapped in their inaccuracies so they turn away from the altercation at hand. These qualities of a

child are portrayed in the actions of Rose Mary. After the controversy is handled between Rose Mary and Rex, just

as a child would, she continues to prove her point through sympathy.

Following their struggles in The Desert, the Walls arrive in Rex Walls hometown, Welch, to pursue a new

life, but something unwanted follows and Rose Marys comportment continues to affect her childrens lives.

Jeannette, Lori, and Brian unceasingly attempt to pick up after their mom and every once in awhile succeed
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at convincing her to get a job, but her selfishness still remains, But Mom, I said, that ring could get us a lot of

food. That's true, Mom said, but it could also improve my self-esteem. And at times like these, self esteem is

even more vital than food, (186). Rose Mary is more attentive to her own fascinations and desires than necessities

for her children. She could easily use that ring to benefit her familys well being and try to better their lives but she'd

rather benefit herself. This specific action brings to surface Rose Marys true selfish nature when it comes down to

the choice of herself or others. Its those naive ways of thinking that sets her aside from the norm of parental

behavior and causes her children to care for her rather than the other way around.

After the difficulties of Welch push the Walls children pursue their lives in New York, their mothers

immaturity continue to affect them even through their transition into adulthood. With the intention of staying

together as a family, Rex and Rose Mary follow their children to New York but end up causing more trouble for

themselves. Rose Mary has multiple opportunities that could turn their lifestyle around but she simply refuses,I

suggested to Mom that she sell her Indian jewelry. She wouldnt consider it. She loved that jewelry. Besides, they

were heirlooms and had sentimental value. I mentioned the land in Texas. That lands been in the family for

generations, Mom said, and its staying in the family. You never sell land like that. (259). All of these options are

available and could help with her situation, but she rejects any possibility of helping herself. Once again this is

portraying the actions of an adolescent who sees their way as being the only way. Her children have grown out of

their immaturity long before expected and are on their way to begin a life of their own while she is still holding on to

them and her childish ways.

Throughout the novel The Glass Castle the actions of Rose Mary Walls deeply affect the choices Jeannette

and her siblings make. From The Desert, Welch, New York, and beyond, Jeannettes mother has continued to bring

her naive demeanor everywhere they go. There are many possible causes that could be the root to her behavior

towards responsibilities including her defiance of her own mothers beliefs or her lack of actually having to work

hard in her life. Regardless of what the reason is for her immature conduct, it doesnt change that fact that her

actions are a constant cycle of destruction that ruin any chance of living a stable life. From the refusal of

responsibility to her selfishness, it all comes down to the fact that Rose Mary is in a perpetual state of youth which

negatively affects those that surround her.