Introduction
The theme of addiction is demonstrated in “The Distance Between Us” by Reyna Grande and “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls. In both memoirs, alcoholism plays a significant role in impacting the family members. Bender (2018) states that dysfunctional families featured in several biographies have captivated the reading public’s interest during the previous two decades. The children in these works are either parented by careless, uninspired, aggressive, and alcoholic or unparented by irresponsible fathers and psychologically unstable mothers (Bender, 2018). Regardless of the trauma and neglect caused by addiction problems in the families depicted in “The Distance Between Us” and “The Glass Castle,” the only obstacles to accomplishment and happiness are inside the individual.
Alcoholism in Reyna’s Family
Notably, “The Distance Between Us” by Reyna Grande provides an essential viewpoint on addiction through the eyes of a child. Grande recalls her experiences as a youngster abandoned by her parents, who immigrated to the United States in quest of better chances (Moreno, 2019). The author and her siblings suffer from terrible poverty and emotional maltreatment after being abandoned by their abusive grandmother. Grande believes that life would be much easier if her father brought them to the United States with him, but she quickly finds that he is harsh and incapable of caring for his children due to his addiction problem (Moreno, 2019). There were also days when Grande (2012) would think of the other father, “not the violent, alcoholic one” (p. 309). She dreams about a parent who left for the United States because he wanted to offer her a better future, the one who did not leave her in Mexico and would help and encourage her to get an education. Therefore, abuse and abandonment were linked to alcoholism in Reyna’s family experience.
The Addiction’s Influence on Family Structure
Addiction fundamentally influences the functioning of a family structure. Baksh (2022) suggests that the physical and mental disintegration of a family member locked in the grip of addiction introduces dispute, stress, uncertainty, and fear into the family structure. The family’s cohesion may deteriorate; whereas logic and rationality may have formerly contributed to family cohesion, substance abuse disrupts the family dynamic (Baksh, 2022). Hence, communication collapses, coping strategies fail, and the capacity to behave properly fluctuates. Grande writes that she always wondered if she would have followed her father to El Otro Lado if she had known what life would look like; “And I knew then that the answer to my question was yes” (Grande, 2012, p. 310). Reyna Grande became responsible for her decisions; thus, the memoir represents changing roles in the family that, consequently, made her a better and stronger person.
Similar to Reyna Grande, Jeannette Walls shares the narrative of her upbringing and what it feels like living in a dysfunctional home with an alcohol-addictive father and a mother who encouraged him to drink in “The Glass Castle.” Father’s commitment to constructing the glass castle embodies the family’s optimism and Jeannette’s idolization of him throughout most of her youth. Nonetheless, as Jeannette gets older, the castle starts to represent his unfulfilled promises (Walls, 2005). Jeannette Walls recalls Rex as a joyful and caring father while she was growing up; nonetheless, Rex’s behavior endangers his family’s happiness due to his addiction. Rose Mary Walls mentions an aphorism sorely tested after the memoir, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” (Walls, 2005, p. 160). The parents of these books exemplify the subjects against which individuals are supposed to evaluate themselves. Bender (2018) emphasizes that these parents do not educate their children that hard work is always rewarded, nor do they prepare them by setting a good example. Nevertheless, the children in these dysfunctional family memoirs grow up to be successful people who recognize that they are personally accountable for their survival. Reyna Grande and Jeannette Walls are excellent examples of people who were brave enough to fight for their happiness despite their harsh family circumstances.
Breaking the Glass Castle
Regardless of the pain and neglect created by addiction issues in the families represented in both autobiographies, the only barriers to success and happiness are internal. The significance of “The Glass Castle” and “The Distance Between Us” is that they are maintained as real-world models of what may be accomplished in one’s life. Such narratives have a significant hold in the United States, where there is still a strong sense of local uniqueness and limitless possibilities (Bendler, 2018). The uncontrolled familial economy, like the unrestrained economy, which is believed to produce personality, denies youngsters both attention and discipline. Bendler (2018) acknowledges that family dysfunction memoirs give a neoliberal closure to the family crisis story by confirming neoliberal contentions through the narrators’ monetary prosperity. For instance, the US economy provides a fair system that honors hardworking, self-sufficient people regardless of their starting circumstances and that the only hurdles to achievement are inside the individual.
Conclusion
Memories of people overcoming adversity and attaining achievement are deeply embedded in national culture and conventional theoretical underpinnings. Alcoholism can destroy a family; nonetheless, children may choose a brighter future for themselves by learning from their parent’s mistakes. Thus, with the memoirs’ availability, namely “The Distance Between Us” and “The Glass Castle,” many authors and readers have a stable framework for organizing and understanding their life events despite the challenging circumstances that their families may experience.
References
Baksh, J. (2022). The distance between us: The changing roles within a family of addiction. Web.
Bender, M. (2018). Dysfunctional family values: United States memoir in the neoliberal age.The Journal of Popular Culture, 51(2), 534–549. Web.
Grande, R. (2012). The distance between us. Washington Square Press.
Moreno, M. (2019). Literary representations of migration. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature. Web.
Walls, J. (2005). The glass castle. Simon and Shuster.