When analyzing the symbolism in The Glass Castle it would be appropriate to start with just the main symbol: the Glass Castle. The Glass Castle represents hope and a bright future. The fact that Rex Walls never achieved his goal of building his dream house shows how deeply he needed to overcome his alcoholism and paranoia. Even though the glass is unstable, it symbolizes how Rex Walls wanted an unachievable lifestyle. It was a lifestyle that could fall apart at any moment. The other symbols that represent Jeanette's transition to adulthood are fire, the Joshua tree, and independence. Fire is an important symbol in The Glass Castle because it is symbolic of Jeanette's first memory of burning herself while cooking hot dogs at the age of three. . Even though she got burned badly, she was fascinated by it. Her father throwing her into the hot pool refers to the fact that she burned herself because she is fascinated by fire because it is unstable and unpredictable. In the memoir, fire and his father are parallel because they are dangerous. I think he associates fire with disappointment...