Plot Diagram

Exposition-The book starts out as Jeannette seeing her mother on the streets of New York digging through a garbage can, and how embarrassed she is of who her mother was. But when you get to the second chapter it starts out with her earliest memory, of being on fire at just three years old. Right from those two chapters you can tell she had a crazy life as a child.

Rising Action-

Jeannette is growing up, she starts realizing what her life really is. For example, when Jeannette falls out of the car and is left there with a broken nose. When they reach Welch, events lead her to questioning her parents, especially her dad, even though he hasn’t seemed to have any of the children’s back in the slightest. Still at this point she still has sympathy for him. On page 209 Rex asks Jeannette for money for not food or things they needed, but for beer and cigarettes, “he simply waited for me to fork over the cash, as if he knew I didn’t have it in me to say no.”

Climax-

Jeannette finally reaches a breaking point. Welch has showed her a lot, but most importantly, to fact she needed to take matters into her own hands, and leave. There are a lot of interesting events that occur leading up to this, like her father not having her back when Robbie attacked her because Rex was using her as a way of conning.

Falling Action-

As I got closer to the end of the book there were a lot of changes being made, such as first Jeannette moving out, then the rest of the kids. Three years after Jeannette had been in New York she got a call from her mother, saying they had moved to New York to be a family again. After a while of freeloading and bumming Rex and Rose finally they had found a “home.” But shortly after Jeannette came to learn her father didn’t have much time left on the earth.

Resolution- In the end you realize why Jeannette starts the book off with the New York garbage rummaging scene, this is because in the end Jeannette realizes that even though her parents aren’t normal and put her through hell and back growing up, she still shouldn’t be embarrassed by who they are because, it is who they want to be. On the last page there are a few quotes that I believe complete the book. One by Rose, “Life with your father was never boring.” Also from Jeannette, “It had grown dark outside. A wind picked up, rattling the windows, and the candle flames suddenly shifted, dancing along the border between turbulence and order.” This quote explains her life with her father, perfectly.