The Glass Castle is an autobiography where Jeannette Walls lets readers into her deranged childhood that included an alcoholic father, an artistic but irresponsible mother, and a nomadic family. Walls has faced countless struggles, whether it be lighting herself on fire at the age of 3, falling out of a moving vehicle, or having to sew her drunken father’s sliced arm shut, her life has not been a pleasant one; yet, in the midst of her hardships, the protagonist experiences tremendous growth and discovers her own identity. As Khalil Gibran once said, “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” This illustrates the idea that adversity shapes people into stronger beings. Had she not been faces with these difficulties, Walls would not be the same perseverant woman she is, highlighting adversity’s essential nature in her development. The quote by Khalil Gibran relates to The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls because Walls tells her chaotic story while proving the most massive character, herself, is seared with scars, physically and emotionally that shape her into a stronger person.

In the novel, The Glass Castle, Walls uses her physical scars to help her flourish as a person. Walls was homeless for the majority of her childhood even though her parents never admitted to it, instead saying they were on the run from the FBI. The first sign of neglect appears when young Jeannette is cooking hot dogs while her mother is painting. Jeannette is in her favorite tutu, standing on a chair, and stirring the boiling water, when all of a sudden her tutu catches fire and engulfs her body. Jeannette spends a while in the hospital and thinks its a luxury because of the unlimited food and her own private room. Many of the social workers and doctors are concerned as to why a 3 year old was cooking hot dogs by herself, so they begin questioning her father. This causes her father to sneak her out of the hospital and move their family from the town. Due to the fire, Jeannette is covered in physical scars from her thigh to her abdomen. Many years later, Jeannette is in a bar with her father trying to hustle money, when a drunk man named Robbie drags her upstairs and forces himself on her. Jeannette uses her intelligence and quick thinking to use her scars to scare off the man. The only way she escapes rape is by showing him her scars. Jeannette is livid that her father did not put a stop to this, but it only shows how she is stronger and more capable than she realizes. Jeannette Walls proves Khalil Gibran’s quote because she is covered with scars that enable her to prove her strength and intelligence.

In The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls also uses her emotional scars to cultivate her into the tenacious woman she becomes. As Jeannette grows up, she marries and moves in with a man named Eric who is the complete opposite of her father. Eric is sober, organized, sympathetic, and compassionate. When her parents come to visit, Jeannette faces criticism from her mom, saying, "Look at the way you live. You've sold out…Where are the values I raised you with?" (Walls 269). Rose Mary Walls is worried that Jeannette has become too comfortable in her lifestyle ad forgotten how she was raised. This comment was only the beginning of the rift in their family unit. Four years later, Jeannette’s mother came to visit but needed Jeannette to buy their family land that was worth a million dollars. This news upset Jeannette because that meant her mother could have sold it during her childhood and they would not have been poor. This fight caused an even bigger split in their family which resulted in them not talking for months. Later, Jeannette receives a call from her father saying to come visit him and bring some vodka. Although reluctant at first, she arrives to the news that he is dying. They continue to talk about her childhood, and all the good things her father did for her. Their talk makes Jeannette realize that her father loved her the whole time. He tried to give up drinking, build a glass castle, and help her attend school. Jeannette proves she is a strong woman because despite all of her deep emotional scars from her childhood of abuse, neglect, and poverty, she was able to forgive her father and accept that he tried his best.

Jeannette Walls is a scarred yet strong and courageous woman who used her immense sufferings to better herself. All of these characteristics are what make her perfectly fit for Khalil Gibran’s quote, “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” Jeannette grew up in a poor family with an alcoholic father, naive mother, and 3 siblings. Jeannette and her siblings were forced to form an unbreakable bond in order to survive their turbulent household. Jeannette developed both physical and emotional scars while living with her family. When she was just 3 years old, her body caught fire while she was cooking hotdogs for herself. This incident left her with scars all the way from her upper thigh to upper abdomen. These scars helped strengthen her as she matured. When she was a late teenager, a drunk man at a bar took her upstairs and tried to rape her, but she was able to escape by showing him these scars. Her scars are what helped her be strong and smart enough to save herself from a disastrous situation. Jeannette also developed emotional scars from being constantly berated by her father but was able to use her traumatic childhood to shape her into a better person. When Jeannette was much older, she received news that her father was dying, so she went to visit him. Jeannette was able to talk with her father and realize that he did love her and did try his best for her. Any woman that is capable of fighting off a rapist and forgiving her negligent, alcoholic father is fearlessly strong. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a memoir that depicts how she is the most massive character, seared with scars, both physically and emotionally, that mold her into a stronger person, proving Khalil Gibran’s quote.