THE GLASS CASTLE: A Memoir Jeannette Walls, Author. Scribner $24 (304p) ISBN 978-0-7432-4753-5. More By and About This Author. Writing What She Knows: Jeanette Walls. Did Ann Atwater really lunge at KKK leader C.P. Ellis after he spewed racism at a city council meeting? Like in The Best of Enemies movie, the true story confirms that Ann Atwater first met C.P. Ellis at a city council meeting where Ellis went on a racist diatribe.

Parent Movie Review

Complicated, engaging, inspiring and possibly disturbing, The Glass Castle, with its US PG-13 rating, defines the need for “parental guidance”. Not likely to be on the top of your teen’s gotta-see list anyway, this story is based on the real-life memoir of Jeannette Walls. Her description of growing up as the daughter a dysfunctional father and mother may catch some audience members by surprise… especially if abusive behavior lurks in their life history.

Scenes of neglect, verbal and physical domestic abuse, a lack of providing protection or the necessities of life, and a moment of sexual abuse punctuate the memories depicted in this story of the Walls family.

Rex (Woody Harrelson), a former Air Force pilot, and Rose Mary (Naomi Watts), an artist of dubious talent, have brought four children into the world. Covering a complete generation of time, a variety of actors play eldest Lori (Sarah Snook/Sadie Sink/Olivia Kate Rice), Jeanette (Brie Larson/Ella Anderson/Chandler Head), son Brian (Josh Caras/Charlie Stowell/Iain Armitage) and youngest sibling Maureen (Brigette Lundy-Paine/Shree Crooks/Eden Grace Redfield).

Glass Castle Review

Deftly edited between her adult life in 1989, as Jeanette works as a gossip columnist for a prestigious New York publication, and her childhood in the Southwestern US, we are introduced to a family descending into crisis. Rex, when he is sober, is an intelligent and creative man. But as he falls further into alcoholism his best full-time “job” is avoiding debt collectors. Like a well-orchestrated fire drill, the wife and kids regularly pack their meager belongings into a rusting vehicle and flee to the next abandoned building.

Seeking shelter anywhere they can find it and bathing the kids at public swimming pools, Rose Mary suggests they move back to West Virginia where Rex’s parents live. Her request implies hope that the cheaper cost of living and some family support will allow them to continue. Rex is reluctant to return to the home of his youth but, after physically assaulting a lifeguard who questioned the harsh method he uses to teach Jeanette to swim, he knows they must leave the area or face questions from police and child services.

The decision to be nearer to Rex’s mom, dad and brother only reveals more skeletons within this family’s closet. Meanwhile, the parallel events unfolding in Jeannette’s present world effectively illustrate how past experiences become the foundation for adult decisions. This comparison leads to the movie’s most valuable message about our capacity to overcome our childhood. The adult Jeannette’s example is particularly persuasive while we watch her consider a marriage relationship with a man (Max Greenfield) who offers financial support, yet appears to have a penchant for drinking and twisting the truth—much like her father.

Stellar performances from this large cast add to this compelling drama. Woody Harrelson portrays with precision a drunk who swings between poetically grand, and cruelly petty. Naomi Watts vacillates between wanting to get as far away from this madman as she can and falling comfortably back into his controlling arms. And the young actors playing the children genuinely portray the anguish of being caught in the middle.

What sets The Glass Castle apart from legions of other films about family dysfunction are the lessons and examples it offers. As the number of years grow since she was dependent on her parents, Jeanette is finally able to remember the better father that was buried beneath the addiction. It’s a moving, albeit somewhat contrived, conclusion that not only leaves Jeanette in a better position to progress in her life, but may have a similar effect on audiences as well.

The Glass Castle
Rating & Content Info

Why is The Glass Castle rated PG-13?The Glass Castle is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for mature thematic content involving family dysfunction, and for some language and smoking.

Violence:
A child’s clothes catch on fire and injuries/scars from her burn are shown a few times. Other bloody wounds are seen, and a child uses a sewing needle to stitch together an adult’s deep cut. An adult runs away from paying bills, and avoids questioning from police and family service officers. Characters drive recklessly. Children are neglect, put in dangerous situations, and left unfed. Physical abuse portrayed includes hitting, biting, choking, wrestling and punching: these physical altercations occurs between adults, as well as between children and adults. A woman is thrown out of a window and is seen hanging onto the sill to keep from falling. Angry and/or drunk characters lash out verbally, kick and break things, as well as hit people. Characters bully and berate others and threaten them. Characters lie to keep things secret and to get things they want. A parent teaches his children to lie and to hustle others. Gambling and stealing are portrayed. Child sexual molestation is implied, briefly depicted and discussed. A man ties himself to a bed and screams in agony while going through alcohol withdraw.

Sexual Content:
An unmarried couple live together. A married couple kiss and embrace, sometimes tenderly and at other times during physical struggling. An older man tries to seduce a young woman: he falls on top of her while they are dancing and tries to undress her. A woman undresses in front of a man (her bra is seen). Mild sexual references, and innuendo are heard.

The Glass Castle Book Common Sense Media

Profanity:
Frequent use of mild and moderate profanity, scatological slang, terms of deity, name-calling, slurs and rude slang terms.

Alcohol / Drug Use:
A man is depicted as an alcoholic and is often drunk. Drinking alcohol from bottles (including moonshine), social imbibing, and smoking are frequently shown. A character bullies another into getting drunk.

Page last updated November 7, 2017

The Glass Castle Parents' Guide

Rex is an abusive alcoholic and the things he puts his children through are harmful—both physically and psychologically. However, his children (and the audience) still see glimpses of a creative, intelligent man who loves his family. Can a person to be both “good” and “bad”? How are we often encouraged to classify someone with just one label? Is this an accurate way of assessing individuals? Is it possible to love someone, even if we don’t like them? When is it necessary to estrange ourselves to protect us from being harmed?

What do the children in this movie learn about their ability to make positive life decisions despite what happened to them during as children? Do you feel all childhood abuse can be overcome? Is moving beyond the past necessary? What may happen if we choose to dwell on painful events?

Rex feels being in the “real world” is better than an education in school. Does he have a point? What are the drawbacks of classroom education? What are the benefits? How much right should parents have in determining the type of education their children require?

This family often lives without plumbing or electricity. Many families lived that way 100 years ago. How have the necessities of life changed? If you can talk with a grandparent or great-grandparent, ask them what their expectations of life were during childhood. What things are we missing today that may be considered essential to raising a child 100 years from now?

News About 'The Glass Castle'

This movie is based on a The Glass Castle, which spent 261 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list. It has also been translated into 22 languages.

A memoir by Jeannette Walls, the story details the many challenges she faced when her childhood gets caught in the wake of her parents' irresponsible behavior.

The film features an Academy Award winning/nominated cast: Bree Larson (Winner: Best Actress for Room), Woody Harrelson (Nominated Best Actor for , Nominated Best Supporting Actor for The Messenger) and Naomi Watts (Nominated Best Actress: The Impossible).

Home Video

The most recent home video release of The Glass Castle movie is November 7, 2017. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: The Glass Castle
Release Date: 7 November 2017
The Glass Castle releases to home video (Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy) with the following extras:
- 9 Deleted Scenes
- The Glass Castle: Memoir to Movie
- A Conversation with Jeannette Walls
- Making of “Summer Storm” by Joel P West
- Scoring The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle Common Sense Media

Related home video titles:

Brie Larson also appears in Room and Kong: Skull Island. Woody Harrelson plays a responsible father figure for a troubled teen in The Edge of Seventeen. He can also be seen in The Hunger Games.

The Glass Castle Movie Reviews

1. 1

   Discuss the role of fire in the novel.

   After Jeannette is burned the first time fire continues to appear in the work. It burns down a number of houses and harms some of the characters. Jeannette believes that the fires might all be connected. Jeannette describes fire as a sort of character itself.

2. 2

   How does Jeannette characterize her parents? What is her tone towards them and their actions?

   Jeannette describes her parents' faults and shortcomings but she does not condemn them for their actions. Indeed, by the novel’s end she appears to have come to an understanding about their way of living. The goal of the work is not to insult or vilify her parents but, in a way, to honor them.

3. 3

   Why does Jeannette choose to title the book The Glass Castle even though the structure is never built?

   The glass castle characterizes Rex Walls’ need to create a life of fantasy and adventure for his family in the absence of stability and practicality. Its construction is consistently delayed in the work, but that which it represents endures. Jeannette’s memoir is, in part, an erection of this fabled structure. In writing, she takes one step towards fulfilling her father’s promise.

4. 4

   Explain the role of nature and the attitudes taken toward it in the memoir?

   Without the amenities of modern life, the Walls family is frequently in awe of the beauty of nature. Especially while living in the Midwest, nature becomes a sort of home for the Walls. Rose Mary Walls also instills within her children an appreciation for animals and nature by refusing to kill or harm it with modern technology.

5. 5

   What about Jeannette’s experience is atypical of general ideas about American poverty? Why do you think Jeannette includes these examples?

   For much of the work, Jeannette and her family live in conditions characteristic of poverty. However, Jeannette’s experience also includes rigorous homeschooling from her parents and exposure to classic literature. Despite her conditions, she and her siblings are often placed in the gifted classes in school. In showing that her parents, though poor, were not unintelligent, Jeannette proposes an often undetailed view of America’s impoverished.

6. 6

   Discuss the role of setting in the novel? How does the theme of the work change when the setting changes?

   Setting is clearly an important part of the work. Indeed, two sections of the novel are named after a particular environment. In addition, there is a clear shift in tone and plot when the Walls move from the desert to Welch, Virginia. Setting not only affects how the family must live but it also influences their hope for escaping poverty.

7. 7

   Compare Jeannette’s relationship with Brian and Lori to that between her and Maureen. Why are there differences?

   Jeannette and her siblings depend on each other for survival. Jeannette and Brian pair together when faced by bullies from outside. Although Lori and Brian differ from Jeannette in their early loss of hope in Rex. Maureen exists as a sort of “black sheep” in the family. Not only does she not have red hair, but she seldom spends time with the family and instead relies on others to care for her. For this reason, Jeannette considers Maureen in need of more protection than the rest of her siblings.

8. 8

   Describe the structure of the memoir. Why does Walls decide to frame her story with her adulthood before reflecting on her childhood?

   Jeannette begins her story by describing her motivation for writing it. Her mother’s urgings that she not hide from her past anymore prompt Jeannette to begin telling her story. Because shame once inhibited her from sharing her story, she begins by describing that which gave her the courage to write it down.

9. 9

   Discuss Rose Mary Walls' role as a mother.

   Rose Mary Walls commonly seems focused on her aims alone. She loses or quits jobs in order to pursue her profitless career as an artist even at times when her family needs her salary for basic necessities. At times, Rose Mary behaves more like a child than her children, throwing tantrums, refusing to go to work, and creating excuses.

10. 10

    Rex Walls frequently makes up fantastical stories to create a life of excitement out of his circumstances. Is this deceitful? In what ways can these stories be seen as an attempt to shield the family from the truth?

    Rex Walls tends to create fantastical explanations to keep his children from considering themselves lesser than others because of their lack of money. When the children are young, this seems harmless. He gives them stars for Christmas instead of gifts and makes life an adventure by telling them they are being chased. However, as the children grow older, Rex’s stories are used as a means to protect or excuse his behavior instead of as a means to shield his children from the reality of their condition.