The Glass Castle: Chapter 1 Summary

"A Woman On The Street" is the title for the first chapter in The Glass Castle. It perfectly sums up the whole chapter. In this chapter, we learn a lot about Jeannette, and her parents. Jeannette lives in New York, on Park Avenue, and is very successful. She was in a taxi, headed to a party, when she spotted her mom digging through a dumpster. "To the people walking by, she probably looked like any of the thousands of homeless people in New York City" (Walls 3). In this quote, we learn that Jeannette's parents are very poor, while Jeannette is living in a nice apartment on Park Avenue. "It had been months since I laid eyes on Mom, and when she looked up, I was overcome with panic that she'd see me and call out my name, and that someone on the way to the same party would spot us together and Mom would introduce herself and my secret would be out" (Walls 3). In this quote, we find out the Jeannette is embarrassed by her parents. Even though she hadn't seen her Mom in months, and she was just a few steps away, Jeannette didn't want to go say hi, in fear that someone would see them together. After Jeannette saw her mom, she didn't want to go to the party, so she asked the taxi driver to take her back home. In her apartment, she got to thinking about her parents. She often asked if there was anything that she could give them, and they always said they were fine. "After ducking down in the taxi so Mom wouldn't see me, I hated myself- hated my antiques, my clothes, and my apartment. I had to do something, so I called a friend of Mom's and left a message. It was our system of staying in touch" (Walls 4). Jeannette called to ask her Mom, if she could take her out for lunch. Jeannette asked her Mom what she should say if people asked about her. " 'Just tell the truth,' Mom said. 'That's simple enough.' "  (Walls 5). This is what her mom said in response. I liked when her Mom said to just tell the truth because it shows that her Mom is confident, and that she is not embarrassed by the way she lives. I also think this will show up again in the up-coming chapters.