The Glass Castle

When Dad describes the heat emanating from the tops of the flames of the shack Jeannette and Brian set on fire, he characterizes it creating a boundary between turbulence and order. The concepts of turbulence, order, and the space in-between provide an instructive lens through which to consider the lives of the Walls family, and particularly Dad’s life. Given that Dad is more comfortable with chaos, whenever the family succeeds enough to come into proximity with stability—that is, to exist within that boundary between turbulence and order—Dad finds a way to sabotage it.

The scene at the zoo when Dad pets the cheetah and invites Jeannette to do the same is another moment of high adventure that nevertheless exists in that space between turbulence and order that is dangerous for the Walls. Finally, Jeannette recalls her Dad’s musings at the burning shack in the final line of the novel, writing, “A wind picked up, rattling the windows, and the candle flames suddenly shifted, dancing along the border between turbulence and order” (288).

Over the course of the novel, Christmas tends to reveal a great deal about the dynamics of the Walls family. For example, the Christmas in the desert when Dad gives Jeannette the planet Venus because he cannot afford store-bought presents reveals the extent to which life still feels like a grandiose adventure for the Walls. Moreover, it shows that Dad is still able to present their lack of means in a way that charms and delights Jeannette. By contrast, the disastrous Christmas in Phoenix, when Dad destroys the tree and the presents during a drunken rampage, reflects the utter chaos threatening to destroy the Walls family if Dad does not make major changes. Finally, the Christmas in New York when Jeannette shames her father by giving him warm clothes reflects how the children’s fortunes have transcended those of Mom and Dad, emphasizing to Dad his failure as a provider.