Knowing the Past to Understand the Present Jeannette Walls Glass Castle As The Glass Castle unfolds, Jeannette Walls opens her heart to her readers, telling the story and details of her life. The focus of her memoir, in her early years, was the lack of care her parents showed her. The care that her parents overlooked, marked her life and influenced the personality she has today. Her parents' actions affected Jeannette as a child, even though she believed that her childhood was normal. The little care they took of her made her the strong adult she became. Lack of care- According to Jeanette's reports of her neglectful childhood experiences, she had no stable place or home to live. In the second portion of her memoir, “The Desert”, we learn that while her mother was in the next room singing, Jeanette, as a three year old, was cooking for herself. While cooking, she caught on fire, “Then the flames leaped up, reaching my face. I screamed. I smelled the burni...