The Glass Castle

Figurative Language:

* Similes:

1. "Mom thought of her paintings as children and wanted them to feel that they were all being treated equally" (pg. 154). The fact that Jeannette feels that her mom's paintings and her siblings have the same status shows that her mom is not only really passionate about being an artist, but also that she doesn't love her children like the typical caring mothers. Jeannette's mom often whines about how her career could have really taken off if it weren't for her kids.

2. "If we got shock, we'd announce it to everyone else, sort of like giving a weather report" (pg. 153). For most people, being electrocuted is a big deal and dangerous. However, the Walls family would experience it every time they entered their kitchen. They would just casually report it as regularly as a weather report; daily. This shows how the Walls family is not only strong but also not the typical kind of poor people.

3. "We gasped over the most spectacular lightning bolts, as if we were all watching a fireworks show" (pg. 22). The Walls family was always very poor and couldn't afford to go to shows or events. Therefore, seeing lighting and thunder storms was their type of entertainment.

* Metaphors:

1. "He started going on about how a man comes home from slaying dragons, trying to keep his family safe, and all he wants in return for his sacrifice is a little love and respect..." (pg. 229). Rex Walls is arguing that no one thanks him about his hard work and compares it to "slaying dragons". This would sound as a huge and difficult task to a little kid and would make them feel amazed. However, dragons don't exist, so this quote just goes on to show how much of a liar and Rex is and how he never works, that's why he is always fired and never lasts over 6 months in any job.

* Personification:

1. "A big agitator twisted back and forth, making the entire machine dance around on the cement patio" (pg. 100). As previously stated, the Walls family barely had enough money to survive, so they couldn't attend any events. Hence they found the washing machine very appealing and entertaining. Also, living on the desert where there is barely any other sign of life, they found any little movement interesting to watch.

* Allusion:

1. "But Lori began to see New York as a sort of Emerald City- this glowing, bustling place at the end of a long road where she could become the person she was meant to be" (pg. 223). Emerald City is the place where Dorothy form The Wizard of Oz had to go in order to find help and fulfill her mission. The fact that Lori compares herself to Dorothy shows how lost she felt before hearing from New York, just like