Jeannette Walls' greatest attribute is her ability to forgive. Throughout
this book, the reader can see how many times Jeannette would have been
justified in hating her parents and abandoning them forever. However,
she always finds a way to rise above those feelings and forgive them.
She presents the events of her life with no self-pity, but just as a way
of coming to terms with the incidents that molded her into the woman she
becomes. She is intelligent and loyal and innovative as well. Without
her plans and schemes, her siblings may have found themselves in foster
homes early in their lives, but Jeannette always finds a way to keep them
all together and protect her neglectful parents at the same time. She
is a small, but powerful hero in the story.
Rex is a very complex character. He undoubtedly spent most of his childhood
being molested by his own mother and living with people who passed on
their dysfunctional lifestyle to him. He is a brilliant man who shows
signs of great potential in his life, but for whatever reasons, is unable
to achieve it. He is successful at every job he accepts, but he really
doesn't want to be held down to a schedule and be told what to do by other
men. At the same time, he is so disgusted by his own character that the
only thing that gets him through life is alcohol. Of course, when he drinks
too much, he becomes mean and combative and often ruins his children's
dreams to fulfill his own worthless needs. He demands respect as the father
of the family, but does nothing to earn it. On the other hand, he tells
wonderful stories, plays with his children, and protects them when he
can. He believes strongly in the concept of family and tries to keep it
together when they children become old enough h to leave his sphere of
influence. In the end, he is a pitiful man who leaves the world with many
regrets, but never that he loved his children.
Of all the family members, she is the one most easy to dislike. She
is a free spirit who had a contentious relationship with her control
freak of a mother. As a result, she never wants to be held within the
normal boundaries of a wife and mother. She is frequently dominated by
an alcoholic husband and feels dragged down by her children. She wants
to be a great and famous painter, but even while she knows this is never
going to happen, she continues to pursue this dream to the detriment of
her children. She is also extremely selfish and steals food for herself
while her children go hungry. She has a teaching degree, but has to be
physically and emotionally forced to take a job. The worst thing she ever
does is to refuse to sell land she owns in Texas that is worth a million
dollars while the family lives in a house that has no indoor plumbing,
an extremely leaky roof, and frequently no heat or electricity. Through
all of this, she never feels guilty and uses her sense of entitlement
to control her children.
Even though she is the oldest child, Lori usually defers to Jeannette's
assertive and perhaps more intelligent personality. She tends to be somewhat
shy and for years doesn't even realize that not everyone has blurry vision.
Only when she gets her first pair of glasses does she realize how beautiful
the world can be. She is fiercely loyal to her family, but also supremely
frustrated by what they do. She is also the one who wants to avoid conflict
at all costs and is willing to compromise more readily. She seems to be
the one who understands her mother the best and is always willing to comfort
her when she needs to. She also has a strong well of courage within in
her that allows her to take off and leave the family so she can survive
and prosper in her life.
As the only boy among the siblings, Brian's first and lasting trait
is his power and strength. He becomes the one who sides with Jeannette
in all the fights they must face in their lives. He is the one who becomes
the great protector who is not afraid to take on those who are larger
than he is. This is how he shows his loyalty to this family who drives
him crazy. He also understands the most readily that their parents need
to be forced to be responsible or face serious consequences. It's not
surprising that a young man with his characteristics would become a successful
police officer.
She is the most fragile of the four children, and by the end of the story, there is no resolution to the problem of her instability. From the beginning of her life, Maureen was passed around for others to care for her. She ran outside as a toddler without a diaper. As she began to grow older, she played with no friends and had to make up her own in a little fantasy world that would foreshadow her future. She is extremely attractive, but that seems to do her no good, because no one, not even Jeannette, is ever there for her. As a result, she drifts through her life and eventually has a mental health crisis. She stabs her own mother in retaliation for being told to leave their house and spends a year in jail. Then, she buys a ticket to California and is gone without any communication for five years. By the end of the story, there are only glimmers of hope that her brother and sisters will see her again.
Clapsaddle, Diane. "TheBestNotes on A Long Way Gone".
TheBestNotes.com.
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