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Flashbacks
Part 2: The Desert
Explanation and Analysis—Grandma Smith and Erma:
Jeannette’s grandmothers act as foils for each other. Mom’s mother, Grandma Smith, is a steady, orderly woman with whom Jeannette has always felt cared for and safe. Take, for example, this description of Grandma Smith from Part 2:
She told me I was her favorite grandchild and that I was going to grow up to be something special. I even liked all of her rules. I liked how she woke us up every morning at dawn, shouting, “Rise and shine, everybody!” and insisted we wash our hands and comb our hair before eating breakfast. She made us hot Cream of Wheat with real butter, then oversaw us while we cleared the table and washed the dishes. Afterward, she took us all to buy new clothes, and we’d go to a movie like Mary Poppins.
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Part 3: Welch
Explanation and Analysis—Grandma Smith and Erma:
Jeannette’s grandmothers act as foils for each other. Mom’s mother, Grandma Smith, is a steady, orderly woman with whom Jeannette has always felt cared for and safe. Take, for example, this description of Grandma Smith from Part 2:
Unlock with LitCharts A+She told me I was her favorite grandchild and that I was going to grow up to be something special. I even liked all of her rules. I liked how she woke us up every morning at dawn, shouting, “Rise and shine, everybody!” and insisted we wash our hands and comb our hair before eating breakfast. She made us hot Cream of Wheat with real butter, then oversaw us while we cleared the table and washed the dishes. Afterward, she took us all to buy new clothes, and we’d go to a movie like Mary Poppins.
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Part 4: New York City
Explanation and Analysis—Dad and Eric:
In The Glass Castle, Dad and Eric, Jeannette's first husband, act as foils for each other:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“He treats me fine, Dad,” I said. What I wanted to say was that I knew Eric would never try to steal my paycheck or throw me out the window, that I’d always been terrified I’d fall for a hard-drinking, hell-raising, charismatic scoundrel like you, Dad, but I’d wound up with a man who was exactly the opposite.
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