Determination Essay Example for Free

Determination EssayIn The Glass Castle we beguile many different possibilities pertaining to Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. We bring in the return, Rex and superstar of the daughters, Maureen, who fall victim to Maslow. Then theres Jeanette and the mother, Rose Mary who r terminati hotshotr both seemed to achieve self-actualization regardless of their hardships. Traditionally, Maslows Hierarchy is thought to be achieved by working up from the bottom of the pyramid to get to the top. However, in The Glass Castle this is not particularly true. All the characters mentioned in this essay lacked sentry go and security, love and belonging, and psychological needs at some point during the novel. How they handled this though varies. The Glass Castle gives you a different view on this topic altogether. We see that whether or not Maslows Hierarchy is achieved, depends solely on the individual themselves.The character we most clearly see represent Maslow is the father, Rex Walls. Throug h step to the fore the book we see Rex battle alcohol addiction and struggle to provide for his family. When the family moves to Welch we learn that Rex was probably abused as a child which leads us to believe this is the source of his alcohol addiction. Since Rex never achieved the safety, and love and belonging chunks of Maslow, he was never adequate to(p) to reach his full potential. He endlessly spoke of dreams, besides never had determination to clog them up. But since we couldnt afford to pay the towns trash-collection fee, our garbage was really piling up. One day Dad told us to dump it in the hole. But thats for the Glass Castle, I said. Its a temporary measure, Dad told me. (Walls 155). By seeing his dreams fall through, we can assume Rex never achieved self-actualization. Rex is never equal to let his demons from his past go, causing him to never reach his full potential.Another character we see never reach their full potential, is Maureen. Like her father Maureen is not able to let go of her past. Maureen was often neglected as a child, lacking the love and belonging needs of Maslow. Afterward, I called Brian. Do you phone Maureens on drugs? I asked. If shes not, she should be, he said. Shes gone nuts. (Walls 275) Not soon after, the mother kicks Maureen out, and Maureen ends up stabbing her. Maureen is sent to a psychological institution for a year then takes off to California. hostile her father and sister Jeanette shows us that it is capable to reach your full potential regardless of what you have gone through. Even through the hardships of her childhood Jeanette is set on moving to New York with Lori and becoming a reporter. By putting her past aside she is able to achieve this and finally reaches her full potential. I still went into the office in the city once a week, but this was where John and I lived and worked, our homethe introductory house Id ever owned. Mom and Lori admired the wide planked floorboards, the big fireplaces, and the ceiling beams made from locust posts, with gouge marks from the ax that had felled them. Unlike any of the houses she lived in as a child, her current home goes above and beyond. If you compare Jeannette to her sister Maureen its clear that becoming all that you can be depends solely on yourself. Maureen went through the same experiences as Jeanette, yet Jeanette is the one who decides to do something with her life, while Maureen continues to let her life be the same as it always was.The last character we see achieve self-actualization is the mother, Rose Mary. Throughout the book Rose Mary is constantly picking out positive from the negative. In the ancestor of the book we learn that Jeanette tries to help her mother since her mother is homeless on the streets of New York, but her mother denies it. Id tried to help them unbounded times, but dad would insist they didnt need anything, and mom would ask for something silly, like a perfume atomizer or a membership in a health clu b. They said they were living the way they wanted to.(Walls 4) Rose Mary seems to be comfortable with her lifestyle and is still content with it at the end of the book. After we sat down for dinner, mom told us her good news. She had been a squatter for almost fifteen years, the city had finally decided to sell the apartments to her and the squatters for one dollar apiece.(Walls 288) Even though Rose Mary isnt living in luxury, she is happy. And to be happy with where youre at in life is essentially achieving self-actualization.Throughout the four examples I provided its clear that you are the writer to your own destiny. Its about personal strength. The stronger a person you are, the more set you are to make something of yourself. Unfortunately for Maureens case, she was too reliant on other people to be able to depend on herself. She was never able to break away and do something with her life, the same goes for her father. Rex did at least try to make his childrens life better tha n his own as a child, but he let his alcohol addiction get in the way of giving his kids, and himself the best life possible. Jeanette and Rose Mary however both managed to commence happy, regardless. The Walls family most certainly did not have a perfect life, and theyve been through more than some of us could possibly imagine, but the majority of them turned out pretty well, and that itself is a huge achievement.To me personally, it seems determination is the key to following Maslows Hierarchy. To move up the pyramid you need to be determined, without determination you settle for what humble you get, just like Maureen and Rex. The determination to be happy and the determination to do better for yourself is what will make the dream of self-actualization become possible. This however, depends on the person you are, and the observatory you have on life.