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The Glass Castle Part III, Chapter 16 Summary

How It All Goes Down

  • Home alone, Jeannette gets an unexpected visitor. No, not Joe Pesci.
  • The visitor is a man from child welfare. Yeah, Joe Pesci would be more welcome.
  • The man asks Jeannette a bunch of family-related questions. She says her mom is an artist and a teacher, and her dad is an "entrepreneur" (3.16.15).
  • Thinking Yeah, right, the man says he'll be back to speak with the family.
  • Jeannette tells Mom that child welfare stopped by and that the family is in danger of being broken apart.
  • Mom paints a picture of a drowning woman, and says, "I'll get a job" (3.16.32). A job doing what? Being a lifeguard at the local pool?