First Year Experience

Discussion questions for The Glass Castle

Transition to college

• As teenagers, Jeannette and her siblings left their parents to start their own lives as independent adults. How did your parents prepare you for college? What are you most excited and nervous for about the autonomy and independence you will experience in college?
• The Walls family faced adversity throughout their lives. Compare and contrast what the Walls family experienced to what you might experience as a student at Ohio State. What skills have you used in the past to cope and how could they apply to your first year of college?
• How do Jeanette's experiences as a child and adolescent shape how she defines success? How have your experiences and the influences in your life shaped how you define success? How will you define success for yourself in college? 
• When the Walls family found the “scraggly, twisted” Joshua tree in the desert, Jeannette wanted to replant it at home so she could protect it and let it grow tall and straight. Rose Mary objected, saying, "You'd be destroying what makes it special … It's the Joshua tree's struggle that gives it its beauty,” (p. 35). What do you think about this quote? How does this quote relate to the struggles you have faced in your life so far?  What about the struggles you might face during college?
• In college, Jeannette is singled out by a professor for not understanding the plight of homeless people. Instead of defending herself, Jeannette keeps quiet. Why do you think she does this? What topics, if any, would keep you quiet in a class discussion? What kind of classroom environment would foster free expression of thought?

Identity and diversity

• In what ways were Rex and Rose Mary successful parents? In what ways were they neglectful? How does your own background or upbringing influence your ideas of Rex and Rose Mary as parents? If you had grown up in a different environment, family makeup or income level, would your views change? Why or why not?
• Throughout the book we see Jeannette face challenges related to her identity and background. Compare and contrast her challenges with your own exploration of your various identities. Has there ever been a time when you struggled with one or more identities like religion, race, sexuality, culture, gender, socio economic status or others? What are some resources you can utilize on campus as you explore your identity?
• Jeannette’s story defies many of the misconceptions about socio-economic status, homelessness and poverty. At Ohio State, you will meet many students, faculty and staff who might change the way you perceive and understand various identities. How will you negotiate meeting, interacting with and living among people who are different than you? What did you learn from this book that you can apply to your first year?
• Throughout her school days, Jeannette often had trouble making friends and fitting in. How can we go about finding a place where we have a sense of belonging? How does that play into our different identities? What is your identity?

Societal issues

• Jeannette said in an interview, “When I got to college, because I was paying for all of it myself, I knew why I was there. I knew how much each course was costing me. There was no way I was going to miss a class; I was going to get my money’s worth.” What do you think about Jeannette’s perspective? Do you believe people appreciate things more when they have to work harder for them? What about a college education? If you are funding your education at Ohio State, do you think you will treat the privilege differently than classmates who are not?
• Woody Hayes, former Ohio State football coach, once said, “You can never pay back, but you can always pay forward.”  What does “pay forward” mean to you? What are some ways you can pay it forward as a first-year student?
• Is there value in nonconformity? Do we live in a society that encourages being different? What are some ways Rex and Rose Mary do the unexpected? Think about a time when you wanted to do something different but decided to conform instead. Why did you make that choice?
• Jeannette describes the squalor she and her family lived in: hunger, poverty, garbage, lack of basic necessities. Conversely, she describes the rich intellectual world her parents imparted: discussions of geology, math, literature, art. What do you think is more important to a child’s development: comfortable living conditions or an enriching intellectual environment?
• What do you think about the ways in which the Walls children were raised?  What values did Rex and Rose Mary instill in their children? What are some of the benefits the Walls children experienced from their childhood?
• What are some privileges you’ve benefited from in your own life? To what or to whom do you acknowledge for providing these privileges?
• Rose Mary’s approach to parenting, specifically related to health, vaccination and education, were once viewed as nontraditional, but they are gaining traction in recent years. For example, some parents are opting to not vaccinate their children. Ohio State does not require students to provide proof of vaccination, but the university is considering changing this policy in the future.  What do you think about this? How might this decision impact current and future students?

Decision-making

• Rex and Rose Mary made many decisions based on short-term solutions rather than long-term effects, such as when the family relocated to avoid bill collectors and when Rex spent grocery money to feed his alcohol addiction. As a college student, what are some decisions you’ll make that will impact your life in the short-term and long-term? How will you negotiate making short-term versus long-term decisions?
• With your new independence, how will you negotiate between needs and wants? How will you try to maintain financial wellness with your new expenses and responsibilities?
• Throughout the book we hear Rose Mary’s complaint: “I’m a grown woman now, why can’t I do what I want to do?” At what stage can adults do whatever they want, if at all? As a new college student, how will you manage your new sense of independence and autonomy?
• Rose Mary justifies shoplifting because she has a good reason to do it—to provide clothing for her family. How do you decide if something is right or wrong? In college, you’ll be introduced to many concepts that are complicated and messy and don’t result in a “right” answer. How will you navigate an educational environment often defined by ambiguity?
• Rose Mary enjoys painting and often chooses to pursue her aspirations with art above a career that can provide for her family. How do you envision your own career goals? How do you anticipate your own career path connecting to your personal values? What are you willing to do/sacrifice to pursue your aspirations and/or career?
• “I wondered if the fire had been out to get me. I wondered if all fire was related, … like if the fire that had burned me that day while I cooked hot dogs was somehow connected to the fire I had flushed down the toilet and the fire burning at the hotel. I didn't have the answers to those questions, but what I did know was that I lived in a world that at any moment could erupt into fire. It was the sort of knowledge that kept you on your toes,” (p. 34). How do you think this "knowledge"" influenced Jeanette's decisions about family, home, school and marriage? What experiences from your past have impacted your decisions as a new college student thus far?
• Life is often about understanding, negotiating and coming together with others. Where do we see compromise occur in the book?  In what ways do you expect to compromise during college?

The Walls family

• Rex and Rose Mary express strong expectations for their children related to education, health, religion, politics and more. What expectations does your family have for you as you start at Ohio State? How will you negotiate the expectations of your family with your personal goals and expectations?
• Jeannette paints a vivid picture of her childhood. Describe some of the challenges that Jeannette and her siblings faced. What are some of the lessons she learned throughout her journey? How did Jeannette “make lemonade out of lemons?” What are some difficult situations you might encounter in college that could potentially result in lessons learned?
• Jeannette begins her book by describing a moment where she sees her mother on the street and is embarrassed. Have you ever felt embarrassed by your family members?  How did you navigate that? How do you anticipate your relationship with your family changing during college?
• In The Glass Castle we see characters with different values.  Pursuing one’s passions, spreading knowledge, excitement, adventure, health, stability and responsibility all have different meanings and significance for members of the Walls family.  What are the values that drive your life?  What role would you have played if you were a member of the Walls family?
• When Rose Mary visits Jeannette in New York City, she says, “Look at the way you live. You’ve sold out. Next thing I know, you’ll become a Republican ... Where are the values I raised you with?” What values is she talking about? How would you respond to this question if you were Jeannette?
• Jeannette recognizes that her siblings, Brian and Lori, were the biggest sources for support throughout her life.  Who is your primary support system? How do you expect to give and receive support in college?
• What character traits—both good and bad—do you think that Jeannette inherited from her parents? And how do you think those traits shaped Jeannette's life? What character traits have you inherited from your parents or guardians? How have these traits shaped your life so far?
• Jeannette "back-talks" her mother by saying "If you wanted to be treated like a mother, you should act like one." What do you think of this moment in the book? How do you plan to deal with confrontation in college?
• Jeannette's mother insists that, no matter what, "life with your father was never boring" (p. 288). What kind of man was Rex Walls? What were his strengths and weaknesses, his flaws and contradictions?

Literary analysis

• Discuss the metaphor of a glass castle and what it signifies to Jeannette and her father. Why is it important that, just before leaving for New York, Jeannette tells her father that she doesn't believe he'll ever build it? What has served the purpose of a glass castle in your life?
• Some high schools have banned The Glass Castle from being used in their English curriculum. Why do you think the book is forbidden from reading in high school classes? What are some reasons it should or should not be banned? Who should decide what books should be used in education? Why?
• Which scenes from The Glass Castle are most memorable for you? Which were the most shocking, the most inspiring, the funniest?
• What characters were you able to connect with more than others? Which characters did you connect with the most and why?
• What was a difficult experience Jeannette faced that you can relate to? Why?
• Why did we ask you to read The Glass Castle?  What is the purpose of the Buckeye Book Community?

Questions compiled by Buckeye Book Community Committee and these websites:

• http://books.simonandschuster.net/Glass-Castle/Jeannette-Walls/9780743247542/reading_group_guide
• http://www.csun.edu/afye/Archived-2011-2012-CommonRead-The-Glass-Castle.html
• http://chattingoverchapters.wordpress.com/2012/08/25/book-1-final-discussion/

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