Prompt: Explain how Jeanette Walls crafts the text to reveal a dominant impression of her parents.
Within the passage of Jeanette Walsh’s memoir The Glass Castle, she establishes her reflective tone to emphasize the assertiveness of her parents growing up as she builds a vivid description of their dominant personas. The author highlights her parents’ unique outlook on the world around them by analyzing the power dynamic between her dominant, controlling father and a mother who embodies a submissive, carefree archetype while enabling the recklessness of her husband. The text navigates the reader through a drastic tone shift as Jeanette’s view of a naive kid transforms into a reflective, mature perspective analyzing the series of events. By using connotation and tapinosis, the author vividly portrays how her parents controlled situations and dominated their surroundings, casting them as powerful characters in her book.
Jeanette builds an intricate image of her father by recalling the countless reckless actions she witnessed throughout her childhood, which led her to lose her idolization of him. In the passage, the author skillfully incorporates connotation to visualize her dad’s ability to paint those around him in colors that fit his narrative by simultaneously portraying himself as a hero in every story. Her recollection of the fond memories begins with her saying “Dad called them henchmen, bloodsuckers, and the Gestapo. Sometimes he would make mysterious references to executives from Standard Oil who were trying to steal the Texas land that Mom’s family owned…”(paragraph 1). The first line “Dad called them henchmen, bloodsuckers and the Gestapo.” directs attention towards Mr. Walsh’s view on those who vigorously enforce the rules he feels passionately about breaking and explains his negative view of people who fit social standards. Always hiding from the law, running away from problems and the FBI, and never tamed by society or his moral calling, Mr. Walsh is described as a nonconformist whose life motto centers around rebellion and spiritual freedom.
Throught the second paragraph, Mr. Walsh’s desire to become free of social norms is reflected through the view of his mature daughter’s outlook in comparison to her initial childhood fascination with his bold acts. The illustration encapsulated in the statement, “That way he explained he burned up the brand name, and if the people who were tracking us looked in his ashtray they’d find unidentifiable butts instead of Pall Malls that could be traced to him.” provides a witty insight into Jeannette’s former perception of her father. The quote serves as a testament to his advanced skills in the art of deceit as he quickly disposes of any incriminating evidence that might link him to his unlawful actions. The statement “…if the people who were tracking us looked in his ashtray they’d find unidentifiable butts” shows the mockery Mr. Walsh makes out of people who stand against him and displays his manipulation skills that allow him to avoid consequences and create for him favorable situations. Following the initial statement, Jeanette’s mature reflection on his views portrays her personal growth, as she no longer sees his schemes and deceiving techniques as admirable but rather manipulative. She paints a vivid and dominant impression of her father, which explains the closeness in their relationship that seems non-comparable to the one she holds with her mother.
The careful use of tapinosis in her memoir, allows the author to showcase her developmental journey as she grows up to objectively examine the actions of both her parents, which contracts her initial thoughts. Despite the vague descriptions of her mother’s character, Mrs. Walsh is a key figure in Jeanette’s life because her lack of assertiveness plays a pivotal part in the shaping of Mr. Walsh’s character. Despite Mr. Walsh putting her children in danger in multiple instances, she remains passive and takes on the role of a submissive wife who lacks the colorfulness of her husband’s personality. Carefully crafted, the author purposely weakens the characters of her mother to portray her lack of dominance in their household. In paragraph 6 Jeanette directly states: “Mom would shrug and say there was nothing she could do about it, he was her husband. Off we’d go, heading out into the desert in search of another house …” to accentuate her mother’s reticent personality which enables her husband’s outbursts. While mocking her lack of dominance, Jeanette creates a perfect image of her mom’s character by saying “[she] would shrug and say there was nothing she could do about it”, which highlights the polarizing difference between her parents’ values and creates a distinct depiction of each one of them.
Tapinosis is smoothly introduced when the author switches between a naive and a reflective perspective after recounting a dialogue between her grandmother and father. The quote “‘You scaly casting banshee bitch!’ Dad had the more intense vocabulary, but Grandma Smith could outshout him; plus she has the home-court advantage.” (paragraph 6) shows a glimpse of Jeannette’s child-like perspective at the time of the event and her utilization of tapinosis emphasizes the unhealthy atmosphere her parents had put her through unknowingly. The charged language crafted in the dialogue highlights how Jeannette used to see her parents’ actions as a child and how she can reflect on them today and see her dad’s ability to control situations and manipulate circumstances. The transition from a naive to a mature and reflective tone is artfully shaped by the use of tapinosis in the dialogue because the literary device adeptly captures her father’s skill of navigating various situations and her mother’s inclination to overlook any wrongdoings committed by her spouse. In doing so, it solidifies his dominance within the family dynamic.
The author’s shift in the passage captures her perspective and tone to outline her personal growth and capacity to see her parents’ true motives in many situations.
Her parents’ dominant personas are built upon by the author through connotation and tapinosis as well as the mature tone of the author. Jeanette captures her dad’s true nature of avoiding the law and portraying himself as superior to others, which allowed for his behavior to flourish in a family with a dismissive wife and children who were fooled by his manipulation techniques into thinking he was heroic and deserving of their admiration. The lucrative description of her mother allows the reader to experience the Walsh family dynamic through the eyes of a 12-year-old which is later reflected through the view of a grown woman.
CCPL Writers' Block 