Audrey Aniag
November 7, 2014
Period 2
The Glass Castle Essay
In today’s society, people of unique characteristics are often not accepted and even looked down upon. As nonconformists, they have their own way of life. We either admire or ostracize those people depending upon the severity of their differences. How they are viewed is usually defined by their ability to fit in. As much as we appreciate originality and being our own person, the amount of this is usually the deciding factor in whether or not we are thought of as a threat to society. When we start to take a look at nonconformity we start to think: is it possible to be raised in nonconformist ways and be able to conform to society? Irving Wallace has the belief that conformity is cowardly…show more content… When their father was on alcohol he became out of control and destroyed everything in his path. He became a whole new person. Him being an alcoholic affected many aspects of the Walls’ family life. . “He came home in such a drunken fury that Mom usually hid while we kids tried to calm him down. He broke windows and smashed dishes and furniture until he’d spent all his anger; then he’d look around at the mess and at us kids standing there. (112)” When Rex Walls moved to New York, there was a point where he went upstate and was given a good, stable job. He actually was enjoying that lifestyle because of the fact that he remained sober, proving his ability to live a sane life. “He called from time to time, and it sounded like he’d put together a life that worked for him… and was staying sober. (262)” However, their mother wanted him to stay with her again, which eventually led to him going back to alcohol. The main reason he did this was because his parents were alcoholics as well and that had taught him that he should face his problems with alcohol. “‘Do you think he’ll stay sober?’ I asked. ‘He’s already back on the booze,’ Brian said.