Power (And A Hippo) Is What I Want For Christmas

An individual wields as much power as not only chance, but also that individual wishes to have. Opportunity for strength and influence is not bestowed as lightly as a holiday gift is, but instead, as remuneration for perseverance, sweat, and time, with an occasional sprinkling of luck involved.  Yet often, not even luck and abundant opportunity can raise the standing of those who won’t hold on to, or what’s more likely, chase life’s rare presents. This is exemplified by Jeannette Walls herself and her parents in her memoir, The Glass Castle. Throughout her retellings of her childhood, Jeannette reveals the multitude of times that her mother and father could have had a stable, safe and highly comfortable life, but instead chose to opt for their tumultuous one that landed them homeless. However, Jeannette Walls, even as a child, had to learn to be the exact opposite from her parents, in order to take care of herself and her future, and ultimately to invest in her education that earned her successful life and career. Jeanette made the absolute best of all her situations, be it sleeping without shelter and calling it, rather optimistically, an adventure, or working at her high school’s paper despite bullying. Jeanette, due to all her sacrifice, eventually becomes an acclaimed author with sufficient power to ensure her happily ever after, while her parents, even though they had lands worth millions, were without food, home, and the strength to allow themselves basic happiness.