Table of Contents
Title
The title of this book is Angela’s Ashes. The title doesn’t make a lot of sense because the story about Angela’s cremation and her lost ashes is found in part two of the book. However, ashes do appear in the book in relation to Angela. An example of this would be the ashes from Angela’s Woodbine cigarettes. And another example would be Angela sitting next to the ashes from the fireplace during hard times.
Author
Frank McCourt was born in depression-era Brooklyn and remained there until the age of four when he left with his family to his native country, Ireland. He came face too face with many hardships but managed to make it back to New York city at age nineteen. Upon his arrival Frank worked as a high school English teacher for forty-five years. After retiring from teaching, Frank, along with his brother, Malachy, performed a two man show called “A couple of Blaguards.” Frank won the Pulitzer Prize for his book Angela’s Ashes in 1997.
Major Characters
The main character of the book is Frank McCourt himself. The entire book is written in first person. He describes his life as a “miserable Irish Catholic childhood.” And he certainly has the right to. His family was forced to move out of the United States, and move to their native country, Ireland. There Frank came upon many hardships such as the loss of his twin brothers, Eugene and Oliver, and his drunken father who couldn’t get a job for very long and only making matters worse. Frank is a very smart and diligent student. His classmates however show no respect for him because he is poor. He then quits school to begin working at the young age of fourteen. And when he leaves his job at the post office to write threatening letters and deliver and manage a Protestant newspaper he is criticized.
He has plenty of adventures in both jobs. He even falls in love with a seventeen year old girl, Theresa Carmody, who is dying of consumption. Frank earns plenty of money from his work, and he has plenty of dreams about escaping poverty and returing to America and sending the rest of his family to later join him. His dream of returning to America does in fact come true, but before that Frank is very worried about how he will be punished in the afterlife and whether or not he would make it into heaven. He feels that he has not only doomed himself by sleeping with Theresa Carmody and slapping his mother but that he has also doomed the rest of his family. But Frank eventually learns from a certain father that if he does not repent his sins to God that they will not be forgiven. Then Frank repents in the church and feels a lot better about himself knowing that he is no longer “doomed.”
One major character found in the book is Frank’s mother, Angela. Angela is a very kind, loving mother who would do anything for her children. Struck by poverty in Ireland, Angela is forced to plead for clothing, furniture, etc. from the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Angela sacrifices her pride, unlike her husband, in order to provide for the family. Angela becomes extremely outraged when she is discriminated for her social class. Angela is not a very religious person, however she respects the church, and is proud of her son, Frank, when he completes his first communion. And she also respects her husband’s decision to teach Frank to become an altar boy. Angela is a good mother. She teaches her children to be hardworking men who have a high standard for good virtue and humanity. She herself however does not practice this. Instead, of moving into her sister’s home, she moves to her cousin, Laman Griffin’s home where she must succumb to becoming his lover. Frank condemns her for this, and for begging upon a church.
Another major character found in the book is Frank’s aunt Aggie. She is the sister to Angela. Frank and his brothers first meet her in Limerick when she is at her mother’s home after a fight she had with her husband, Pa Keating. She is disappointed at the fact that Angela has children and she doesn’t. But when her chance to shine as an aunt comes, she ruins it by hitting her nephews and sending them out to play in freezing cold weather. Frank comes back to live with her after he has an argument with Laman Griffin. This time she is much kinder and accepts Frank into her home with little hostility. She even buys him new clothes for his post office job.
Frank’s father, Malachy plays a very important role in the book. He could very well be considered the cause of the problems his family faces. And this is because he has a hard time finding a job and even when he does he is unable to keep it, and he also spends all of his wages at the pub. Although Malachy is a heavy drinker and doesn’t bring in much money, his family still accepts him. His family realizes that his drinking is out of control, and that it is more like a disease.
He even drinks his wages away in England. Malachy leaves for England in hopes that he will benefit from the war, and he promises to send money, but he never does. He stays in England while there are rumors about him spreading in Limerick. He however, does return while his wife is in the hospital around Christmas time, and all that he had to offer was a half eaten box of chocolates. He then returns to England and sends some money once, then is never to be heard of again. He may sound like an evil man, but he’s not. Malachy was a man with great pride and dignity, he loved Ireland, and was a great storyteller. And the only reason that he had a hard time finding a hard time in Limerick was because he was from northern Ireland, and was described as having an “odd manner.”
Another important character found in the book is Malachy Jr., Frank’s younger brother by one year. He was named after his father. Frank spends a lot of his time with Malachy Jr. He was there throughout all of Frank’s early struggles. Malachy in a way is brought out as a charming character. Him and Frank have plenty of adventures together. One example of this is when they have to go out and look for coal out on the street, and then wind up in a pub drinking lemonade and getting an offer of free coal from the bartender.
Minor Characters
1. Pa Keating – Frank’s considerate uncle who encourages Frank to make wise decisions as he gets older, and not to care about what other people think.
2. Laman Griffin – Angela’s cousin who forces Angela to wash his chamber pot, and sleep with him. Laman is a major antagonist in the book. Frank argues with Laman over a bicycle, and Frank leaves.
3. Ab Sheehan – Frank’s uncle who was dropped on his head as a baby. Frank had his first pint in Ab’s presence.
4. Nora Molloy – A lovely woman that helps Angela in a grocery store ensuring that the clerk doesn’t take advantage of her. She goes crazy and has to report to the insane asylum once in a while. This is because she is overwhelmed by her husband Peter who is a champion pint drinker. In order to keep herself calm she bakes although she can hardly afford flour.
5. Peter Molloy – Husband to Nora Molloy, and champion pint drinker.
6. Mikey Molloy – Frank’s friend and the son of Peter and Nora Molloy. He is a bit older than Frank, but Frank still considers him to be a good friend. Mikey is the person who gets Frank interested in books. Since he’s a little older than Frank, he fools around with the girls in the movie theater.
7. Margaret McCourt – the adorable daughter of Malachy and Angela McCourt. She is what makes Malachy stop drinking. But then, her abrupt death shocks the family and devastates Angela.
8. Oliver and Eugene McCourt – The twin sons of Malachy and Angela McCourt who die soon after their arrival in Limerick.
9. Michael McCourt – One of Frank’s younger brothers that was born in Limerick. Frank’s parents told Frank that an angel left him on the seventh step of the stairs of his home. Frank believes this and talks to the angel about his problems only to discover where babies really come from.
10. Alphonsus McCourt – Frank’s youngest brother who was also born in Limerick.
11. Frank’s Grandmother – She’s who helped the family when they came over from Limerick. She however dislikes Frank because she says that he’s just like his northern father and will abandon his family one day.
12. Bridey Hannon – Angela’s neighbor on Roden Lane who becomes good friends with Angela and tries to comfort her.
13. Mr. Hannon – The father of Bridey Hannon. This is the man who gives Frank his first job which is delivering coal.
14. The McNarma Sisters – Two curious cousins of Angela’s that lived in New York.
15. Patricia Madigan – a young girl suffering from diphtheria whom Frank meets while he’s in the hospital for typhoid fever. She teaches Frank a poem called The Highwayman but she dies before she gets a chance to complete it, and Frank becomes disappointed. Frank learns the rest of the poem later on.
16. Seamus – The janitor who introduces Patricia Madigan and Frank McCourt. This janitor also recites poetry to Frank when he’s in the hospital because of his eyes.
17. Mrs. Finucane – This is the woman who offers Frank a well paid job writing threatening letters to her customers who are behind on their payments. She sold clothes, and when she died Frank took some money from her.
18. Mr. McCaffrey – This is the man who has the pleasure of working with the older Frank McCourt. Frank worked for him delivering and managing a Protestant newspaper.
19. Mr. Timoney – He was an educated man who befriended Frank. Frank liked him probably because he felt that Mr. Timoney treated him the way that he was meant to be treated.
20. Theresa Carmody – She is the center of Frank’s infatuation, and later his love. Theresa was dying of consumption but Frank suddenly gained “the excitement” and wound up becoming intimate with her. Frank prays to rid of Theresa’s consumption to St. Francis. And when she dies, he no longer prays to St. Francis. He feels guilty that he sent her to hell, and as much as he wanted to confess, he couldn’t get up the nerve to do it. She was very important to him.
21. Mr. O’Halloran – Frank’s school teacher who believed that Frank was very intelligent.
Setting
The first setting of the book is Depression-Era Brooklyn where Frank’s parents met. This is where Angela became pregnant by Malachy and later went on to marry him. This is also the setting where the reader is introduced to the McNarma sisters and Angela’s neighbors. The reader is also introduced to Angela’s children; Frank, Malachy, and Margaret. Although this setting is mention very briefly it plays a vital role in the story. And this is because of Frank’s dream of one day returning to America, rather than going to America.
Another important setting found in the book is the house on Roden Lane. When the McCourts move in, they discover that they must share a bathroom with the other families on the lane. During winter, the entire bottom floor is flooded and the family is forced to live upstairs which they nicknamed “Italy.” They chose this nickname because the upstairs floor is warm. This is the setting where Michael was born, and Frank’s parents convinced him that an angel had left it on the seventh step of their home. This setting is important because this is where Frank excuses his father’s drinking. Frank excuses his father because of the times that his father spent with him sharing stories.
A very controversial setting found in the book is the home of Laman Griffin. Angela and her children were forced to move in here after being evicted from there previous home. The reason why this setting is so controversial is because Angela is forced to join Laman in his loft and perform intimate acts. Frank disagrees with incestuous pleasure and condemns her for it. Angela is also forced to wash Laman’s chamber pot. This is where Laman and Frank argue over a bicycle which causes Frank to move into his uncle’s home.
The next setting is the home of Ab Sheehan. As mentioned before, Frank moves in here when he has an argument with Laman. Later on, the rest of the family joins Frank. Frank enjoys his uncle’s company, and he admires him. It is while Frank is living with Ab that he gets a job as a messenger boy.
The emotional setting of each character is different. But the most important emotional settings lie within Angela and Frank. Angela must continuously give up her dignity in order to provide for her children. This makes Angela feel weak and unscrupulous. Franks reaction to her mother’s begging and incestuous pleasure is outrageous and condemning and even results in physical violence (a slap). Frank feels that her mother should not have to beg, and that he is old enough to provide for the family. At first, he feels as if no one takes him seriously, and that is until he meets Mr Timoney. Mr. Timoney speaks to Frank as if he was an adult, and so Frank develops a certain mentality that he is a serious man.
Ethical Problems Explored in the Book
The most prominent ethical problem in the book is alcoholism. Malachy Sr. Drinks away all of his wages at the pub, leaving the family desperate and destitute. Drinking is also prominent in the Molloy household because Mr. Peter Molloy is a champion pint drinker.
A briefly mentioned ethical problem explored in the book was the theft of a truck which got Malachy into jail.
The next one is incestuous pleasure. This deals with Laman and Angela. This was considered to be morally wrong by the church. Angela’s actions were of great disappointment to Frank. Another problem dealing with sex was Frank’s masturbation. This was also opposed by the church, and Frank felt bad whenever he did it. His actions made him feel “doomed,” and that he would be sentenced to the fires of hell.
Another ethical problem explored in the book was being made fun of. Frank was made fun of by his fellow students at school. He was also made fun of when he was carrying a pig’s head down the streets for Christmas dinner. There are many times when the McCourts are rejected because of their place in the social pyramid.
Plot
1. Exposition – The exposition of this book would be the first few chapters of the book because that is where characters are introduced and plot is set. The specific exposition of this book would be everything up until the McCourts arrival in England.
2. Rising Action – The rising action of this book would be the tough times that the family had upon their arrival in Ireland; such as not being able to find a job, or an apartment, etc.
3. Climax – The climax of the story is when Angela and her family live with Laman Griffin.
4. Falling Action – The Falling action of the story would be when Frank finally earns enough money to return to America.
5. Catastrophe – And the catastrophe would be his voyage to America.
Major Symbols and Allusions
A major symbol found in the book deals with the theaters. For example, the Lyric Cinema was for those who were the regular townspeople, whereas, the Savoy theater was where all of the wealthy people went.
Another important symbol found in the book are eggs. Not all of the families could have eggs, and the McCourts associated them with wealth and luxury although it wasn’t necessarily true.
The next important symbol found in the book is the River Shannon. This is an important symbol because it symbolizes freedom. Frank relates the river to running off to the Atlantic to the shores of America which is where he’s headed off to.
Style
Frank McCourt’s style of writing is very unique. The entire book is written from his point-of-view. His diction is mainly in English although sometimes an Irish accent is included. McCourt’s syntax is very simple and easy to read. His style relates to the purpose of his work in a way that tells a real life story.
Major Themes
The major theme of the book is poverty. Frank is denied becoming an altar boy and furthering his education because of this even though he is intelligent. Poverty also prevents the McCourts food-wise. They never get enough to eat, and whenever they do get something it is often unsatisfying. And what’s even more disappointing is the fact that Malachy Sr. Drinks away all of his wages. Poverty, however, had a positive impact on Frank’s life. Poverty made Frank more and more determined to prove himself and to do decent work. Poverty also enabled Frank to return to America although his views of it were strictly idealistic. This is the major theme of the book.
Quotes Explained
The first important quote of the book is “When I look back at my childhood I wonder how I survived at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish Childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.” These are the very first words of the book. This indicates to the reader that the book is sad and that there are differences in not only the types of childhoods, but rather even a difference in miserable childhoods. This quote also shows the author’s style. But it also implies that this book is going to be worth reading because “the happy childhood is hardly worth your while.” This quote is especially important because it shows how the author feels about his work and also how he feels about his childhood.
The next important quote found in the book is “The master says it’s a glorious thing to die for the Faith and Dad says it’s a glorious thing to die for Ireland and I wonder if there’s anyone in the world who would like us to live.” Frank is very young during this quote, and it shows how confused he is. At this time he didn’t understand what “to die for” something meant. All Frank knew is that death is a big ordeal and that people associate it with what’s important to them. That’s why this quote is so important.
Another important quote found in the book is “I don’t know why Mrs. O’Connell had to shame me before the whole world, and I don’t think I’m too good for the post office or anything else. How could I with my hair sticking up, pimples dotting my face, my eyes red and oozing yellow, my teeth crumbling with the rot, no shoulders, no flesh on my arse . . .” This is an important quote because it shows Frank’s low self-esteem and reveals something about his age. This quote informs the reader the reader that Frank is now in the middle of adolescence, and that he’s disappointed at his changing appearance. He doesn’t wish to have hair sticking up or rotting teeth but he does, and this causes him to have low self-esteem. This quote also shows that Frank is actually a modest character and that he doesn’t like the way he’s treated.
The final important quote of the book is “I’m on deck the dawn we sail into New York. I’m sure I’m in a film, that it will end and lights will come up in the Lyric Cinema.” This is a very important quote because it relates entering America to a movie. This is important because Frank loved the movies. Frank thinks that what he’s seeing is something you could only see in the movies like a beautiful scene. And he makes it sound like he’s in a movie theater. Frank’s dream of returning to New York came true.
Relevance of the Work to the Present Time
This work has a lot of relevance to today; for one thing, there is still poverty. Poverty is a hardship that millions of people must face everyday. And relating to poverty, there is still discrimination between social classes. Hunger is very prominent today. This is another problem that millions must face. Also, in relation to the book, many people have problems with alcohol. And many people still make fun of one another, and succumb to incestuous pleasure.
There is however one universal affair mentioned in the book which everyone experiences. And that affair happens to be dreams. Everyone has dreams and everyone dreams of something and no one ever questions it. The power of dreaming is not just a state of mentality but rather a force within everyone that no one can control. Frankie shows the power of dreams and proves that they can come true. He returns to America doesn’t he?