OVERALL ANALYSIS

CHARACTER ANALYSIS

Jeannette Walls

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........

Rex Walls

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........

Rose Mary Walls

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........

Lori Walls

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.......

Brian Walls

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........

Maureen Walls

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...........

 

The complete study guide is currently available as a downloadable PDF, RTF, or MS Word DOC file from the PinkMonkey MonkeyNotes download store. The complete study guide contains summaries and notes for all of the chapters; detailed analysis of the themes, plot structure, and characters; important quotations and analysis; detailed analysis of symbolism, motifs, and imagery; a key facts summary; detailed analysis of the use of foreshadowing and irony; a multiple-choice quiz, and suggested book report ideas and essay topics.