The Glass Castle: Symbols/Themes

The Glass Castle

The greatest symbol of hope for the Walls children

Tumbleweeds

Representative of the family's constant moving

Demon Hunting

This taught Jeannette to face her fears head-on

The Maroon Wave

Represents Jeannette's first unfiltered view of the real world

Geode

Representative of Jeannette: rough on the outside, beautiful on the inside, and created through extreme conditions

Cacti

Representative of the family's eating habits: eat as much as you can when food is available because you never know when you may eat again

Gila monsters

Representative of the kinds of people who are able to survive in extreme considitons in the desert

Oz

Representative of the Walls children's hope for a new life in their "Emerald City"

Fire

Representative of Jeannette's ability to overcome danger and thrive in spite of it

Turbulence and Order

A fine line between chaos and control that the Walls family constantly challenges

Joshua Tree

Representative of the beauty that can come with a struggle; also represents the idea that people can have different perspectives on the same object

Watch

Representative of Jeannette's hope to be the kind of person who has places to go and schedules to keep