Emma Caroline Brown

Editor

The past can sometimes be joyful or uncomfortable to look back on, but this year’s Welty

Gala speaker, Jeannette Walls, emphasized how important our past is when telling our stories.

Walls grew up in poverty and an unconventional home, which taught her the beauty and

ugliness of life. However, without her experiences, Walls would not be the role model and

beacon of hope that she is today.

Walls’ 2005 memoir, “The Glass Castle,” detailed her life in ways that destroyed and

recreated herself while she wrote it. She looked back at childhood and teenage traumas that

scarred her memory, which was a monumental mountain for Walls to climb while recounting her

life.

There have been many memorable interactions with teachers, students and people of all

ages telling Walls how they connected with her story and saw themselves in new ways. These

experiences have shown Walls that her life story has made people feel safe telling their stories to

her and others.

Walls has seen people who share her experiences be ashamed or feel guilty because of

their life and their past, and Walls at first felt the same emotions while writing her memoir. But,

through the tears and revelations, Walls has told these people that their stories are beautiful and

waiting to be told. Their experiences and lives may have been bad and hard to overcome, but

Walls sees the beauty and the triumph in these lives that have been touched by her story.

Our past and our stories shape who we are, and, just like everyone else, Walls had to face

the ugly parts of life so that she could grow and be honest with herself. Using our past to better

our future is an incredibly hard thing to do, but Walls’ determination is a testament that it can

lead to great things for yourself and those around you.

Everyone has different pasts, upbringings and ways of life that they know, and some

paths are easier than others. However, Walls does not see her hardships in the past as something

that holds her back—she sees them as blessings wrapped in difficult lessons.

We may not fully understand why we face hard times or trip-ups in life, but to push

forward and make something great out of it is the best lesson we can teach ourselves.

Our past does not define us, but we should look back at our lives with the feeling of

growth and achievement that pushes us to the next stage of life. For Walls, she has used her past

to connect with others on a grand scale. It might take time for us to share our life stories, but as

Walls said, when we do it is a testament to who we are and what we have overcome.

There is one quote from “The Glass Castle” that stuck with me when hearing Walls’

testament: “Things usually work out in the end.” “What if they don’t?” “That just means you

haven’t come to the end yet.”