Topic > Ideas of Home in “The Glass Castle,” a Memoir by Jeannette Walls

“The longing for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.” Maya Angelou said that very famous quote about the house. It captured the absolute comfort and security of a home. The pure essence of a home. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay A house is usually seen as the house you live in permanently. However, many homeless people feel that their home is where their loved ones are. Truly, home is the place where you feel most comfortable and safe. And this is where the saying comes from: "Home is where the heart is." Back when house was first used, it meant a piece of land or a settlement. Sometimes it also meant a village. So, in general, it has always meant place of residence. Now, if you look up “house” in a dictionary, you still get definitions like “a house” or “a physical place of residence.” But now there is also another voice at home. For example, the Free Dictionary lists two other definitions of house, “a. An environment that offers security and happiness. B. A precious place considered as a refuge or place of origin”. As time went on, "home" started to mean more for the heart and less for the wallet, even according to the dictionary. The Glass Castle, a memoir by Jeannette Walls, explores this idea of ​​home as more of a part of everyday life. Heart. Growing up, Jeanette never had a real home to live in. His family was constantly on the run from debt collectors, so they moved from house to house, from city to city. The only thing of substance in Jeannette's life was her family, and to her, family was her home. And as she grew up, she realized that home is where you feel happy and safe. As Jeannette said about her sister Maureen, "But I also hoped that Maureen had chosen California because she thought that was her real home, the place where she truly belonged, where it was always warm and you could dance in the rain, gather l 'grapes the right way.' from the vineyards and sleep outside at night under the stars.”(Walls 276) In the book, Jeannette and her mother's vision of the house is very different. As the story begins, we see Jeannette trying to figure out how her mother, Rose Mary, can make a living while being homeless while living in a penthouse on Park Avenue. Later, Jeannette says that Battle Mountain was the only place she truly called home. She liked it there because she was happier there. On the other hand, Rose Mary calls the house on Little Hobart Street “home sweet home.” (Walls 150) Rose Mary loved this shabby, broken-down house, while Jeannette and the rest of the family were not so fond of it. Rose Mary felt at home on Little Hobart Street because she felt comfortable in that dilapidated house, while Jeannette did not, so Jeannette didn't really consider it her home. As seen by Rose Mary and Jeannette, "home" is very different for each of us. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Home is not simply the house, apartment, trailer, or cardboard box in which a person lives. A home does not even have to be the place where a person currently resides with his or her family. As the saying goes, “Home is where your heart is.” Home is a place where a person feels safe and happy. Home is a place where a person can truly be themselves. Homes are different for everyone. A house is truly a piece of your heart. Unfortunately, not everyone has a home, and as Maya Angelou said, “The longing for home lives in all of us.”