Symbols

In Jeanette Walls’, The Glass Castle, there is a reoccurring theme revolving around stars and empty space. The stars symbolize the complexity of life itself and also the people within it. As she watches the stars Jeanette witnesses “layer after layer” unfold to her (Walls, 40). Walls uses this symbol to reveal more in depth, the nature of humans in having many layers. These layers are so deep that they are only revealed to a certain group of peers. Jeanette learns later in the story that it is important to only reveal oneself and the layers deep within to the people that can be most easily trusted; Walls recognizes that she must hide herself from kids outside her family because she is different by means of intelligence and by revealing that to her peers she puts her physical health at risk.

            The symbol of starts and space itself also begin to develop a theme within the story because it is symbolizing this open space in which people find themselves forced to learn and grow. In the desert where people can see the stars it is easier for them to learn and become intelligent about the unknown by reading and the sharing of knowledge, like Rex Walls does with his kids. However, in the city, where the stars cannot be seen easily, it is rather simple to find oneself sheltered by the busyness of everyday life presented in a city of chaos. This is why Jeanette’s parents feel as if they do not belong in a cluttered city, such as one of California, because it will deteriorate their ability to interact with the one’s close to them, the one’s which they can safely reveal their layers of stars to. Thus, people living in open space have more ability to become individualized and intelligent.