The Glass Castle and Family

The “perfect family” has been seen on television since it was first introduced. These families showcase beautiful mothers who fulfill their wifely duties, hard-working fathers who are the head of the family, and beautiful children who learn life lessons from their parents. There is always a happy ending and the strength of family exceeds all.  Such formal styled family shows are: Full House, Boy Meets World, and The Brady Brunch etc. However, in modern shows, I have seen more realistic showing of families. These families are not exactly conventional and break boundaries. These families represent to me the diversity, and a realistic view, of families today. In these shows, not everything ends happily; controversial issues can be brought up, and the imperfections of the families allow viewers to form connects. These shows include: Modern Family, Malcolm in the Middle, and The Middle. It can be argued that these shows do have some similarities to conventional families in shows, but it is undeniable the differences that it has as well.  
            In The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls, the Walls are an unconventional family. The parents allow their children to run free, care for themselves, and even cook at a young age. The family is rather dysfunctional and a safe environment is not provided. The father is an alcoholic, the mother is narcissistic, and the children are placed in various situations where they are starving or unsafe.  The Walls family is entirely different from any family on a television. The hardships they face are not address on television ever. The Walls lifestyle is bizarre, unstable, and astonishing. I personally cannot relate to Walls family, and I also can not relate to the "perfect families" portrayed on shows; however, I can relate to the more modern portrayal of families. To me, these families showcase imperfections that I feel most families can  relate to.