Characters in Glass Castle

The only characters that have appeared in the book so far are Jeannette and her family. Jeannette's parents are very carefree. In my opinion they don't seem like very good parents. Her dad encourages her to play with fire after her burn. "Dad also thought I should face down my enemy, and he showed me how to pass my finger through a candle flame" (pg.15). I wonder to myself what kind of a parent does that. He lets her do things that I never a imagine a parent allowing. "By the time I was four, I was pretty good with Dad's pistol, a big black shot revolver, and could hit five out of six beer bottles at thirty paces" (pg.21). Her parents seem somewhat too laid back. "Some parents worried that their kids might get hit by lightening, but Mom and Dad never did, and they let us go out and play in the warm, driving water" (pg.22)

Even though Jeannette's life seems somewhat unstable, she doesn't seem to mind it. "'Do you like always moving around?' Lori asked me. 'Of course I do!' I said. 'Don't you?' Their crazy nomadic lifestyle doesn't seem to phase her. Also, Though I don't think of her dad as a good parent, Jeannette seems to look up to and respect her dad. "When Dad wasn't telling us about all the amazing things he had already done, he was telling us about the wondrous things he was going to do" (pg.25). I admire Jeannette's attitude toward life as a child. Though she has it rough, she seems to make the best of it. It may just be the fact that she is a child and knows nothing else, but I see a srong character in her. Already she has had many struggles, but always makes the best of it.