Shortly after returning home Franks one-year-old brother, Oliver, dies in the hospital. The day of the funeral Franks father spends all his dole money on alcohol. The
McCourts move to a new home, and Frank and
Malachy finally begin school. The school that they are attending is difficult and challenges your spirit. After starting school the
McCourts face, yet again, another challenge, Eugene dies of pneumonia. Yet again Franks father drinks the whole day of
Eugene's funeral, so
Frank has to pull him from the pub so that he can pay his last respects to his son. After the funeral Frank and
Malachy eat fish and chips. While eating Frank can't help but think about how Eugene has been taken by angels to go see Margaret and Oliver.
After Eugenes funeral Mrs.
McCourt decides that the family should once again move, so they do. Unfortunately Mr.
McCourts pay is reduced to 16 shillings a week, and they have to share a bathroom with 11 other families in their new home.
The McCourts life just keeps getting worse and worse. Having to lose one child is something no parent should have to deal with, but three is just terrible. Although this tragedy does strike I feel that the move and education that Malachy and Frank finally receive is exactly what they need. These kids need something they can escape to so that they have something other to do that just get in trouble. Although the first move is good for the boys, the McCourts are once again just attempting to run away from their problems when moving isn't going to make them disappear. At the beginning I felt just a little bit of sorrow for the McCourt family but now I feel terrible. No one should have to go through this type of a life, and I really hope that their situation gets better in the near future.
McCourt, Frank. Angela's Ashes. New York: touchstone, 1996.
6 comments:
The events of these peoples lives are tragic. I think that your right about education giving them an escape. I think that right now any distractions would be of great help. It helps me see that in times of pain you should focus your mind towards something else.
This is interesting because I just read another post about the same events, but yours is totally different. It shows how two different people can have completely different takes on the exact same thing. You both had different reactions. For example, I think yours was slightly more optimistic, because you mentioned how the education may be able to help the family.
Frank isn't getting any breaks, but it seems that he is only adding to the problem with his drinking. I don't see why Frank would spend all his families' money if they are already getting reduced payments. Good job Paige.
"Although the first move is good for the boys, the McCourts are once again just attempting to run away from their problems when moving isn't going to make them disappear. " I especially like this quote. It shows that the family needs to deal with their problems before anything will get better-- the dad needs to get his life on track, and the kids need to stay out of trouble. I don't think that everyone realizes that usually when something goes wrong, the problem is always in some way the subject's fault. New people can make the subject's transformation of those faults easier, but while they exist they are going to cause problems. I haven't read the rest of your posts or Angela's Ashes, so I can't be sure of what other continuing problems the family has, but I definitely agree with you as moving is not always the best idea, especially when it comes to a prevailing character fault like drinking.
I think making the effort to try to change things is something that people think they can get around and not do. Things don't magicaly get better and Paige I really like the way you put this. They do need a distraction because wallowing in pain is not going to get them anywhere. These events truelly are very very tragic and I can't imagine going through them and I think knowing what to do after events like these would be very difficult.
The death of Frank's siblings was the hardest part of the book for me. I remember reading about his mother's heartache adn feeling horrible myself. I also remember Mr. McCourt drinking away all their money and feeling horrible that the family had to deal with this. It also made me angry about women's rights as the wife of the family cannot revieve dole money and, in this case, the alcoholic father is seen as more worthy of recieving the money for his family then the mother.
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