Homework Journal #2

A) How does the following passage epitomize the Walls' lifestyle and demonstrate Jeannette's tolerant and understanding character? How does the swimming event compare to the fire incident on p. 9?
(swimming event passage on p. 66)

The passage describing the event in which Jeannette's dad threw her in the water to help her learn to swim actually can apply to everyone's lives. In life, we all have times where we are at a crossroad. The crossroad literally being "sink", or "swim". It is ironic that Jeannette experienced this event because it gives hint at describing her whole life. Everything that the Walls family does depends on them sinking or swimming. This does not only show through this part of the book, but throughout the whole book. Most of the time, Jeannette's dad is the one who causes all the family problems. He loses his job, gets drunk, and his kids and wife are left with little food, and little hope to hold onto. Each time, the Walls family kids have to ask themselves if they want to keep hoping that life will get better, or give up. It demonstrates the fact that their whole lives revolve on sinking or swimming - holding on, or giving up. The swimming event can also relate to Jeannette in her fire incident. After the incident occurs, she could have either gotten scared of fire for the rest of her life, or conquer fire and not become afraid of it. The catastrophe called Jeannette to make a decision, and she chose to swim.

B) How does Jeannette describe her father in the beginning of the memoir? How does she express her trust in her father? Cite specific examples.

Near the beginning of the book, Jeannette describes her father as really smart, brave, tough, and supportive. In her mind, her father is like a hero. She trusts him with situation their family is in because she knew about it better than anyone else in her family. On pg.78, she says, "I knew more about Dad's situation than they did because he talked to me more than anyone else in the family...He told me I was his favorite child...'I swear, honey, there are times when I think you're the only one around who still has faith in me,' he said. 'I don't know what I'd do if you ever lost it.' I told him that I would never lose faith in him. And I promised myself I never would." The passage indicates that she trusted in him because she didn't want him to give up, and because no one else really ever had trust in him. She cared for her father so much, that even when he explained to her he was going to build a glass castle in which they would be safe, she trusted that he was going to build the castle, and hoped he would. She didn't want to lose her father, even though he was the center of most of the family's problems.