The role of angela in angelas ashes
The role of angela in angela’s ashesIn Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt’s mother Angela sacrifices her pride and her dignity to help family survive at all costs. Angela does everything she can to help her family survive, no matter how it scars her family or her children. Malachy cannot deal with reality and the poverty that the family is experiencing. At numerous points throughout the story Angela sacrifices the family’s dignity by taking charge of Malachy’s dole money, begging at the Saint Vincent De Paul society, and picking trash up off the street to keep them warm.
When the McCourts arrive back in Ireland, Malachy begins to drink as he did in America because he cannot deal with the realities that face him in his life. Three of his children have died, his family lives in poverty, and his children and wife have to beg to survive, but instead of getting a decent job and sticking with it — he will work the job for awhile then drink his wages away and eventually lose his job to a hangover. Angela finally has had enough of his problems and decides to go with him to the Labour Exchange to take the money before he can spend it on the pint. “On Thursday Mam follows Dad to the Labour Exchange. She marches in behind him and when the man pushes toward Dad and she takes it. The other men on the dole nudge each other and grin and Dad is disgraced because a woman is never supposed to interfere with a man’s dole money.”(p. 78) With this money she can buy new boots for her children for their first day of school at Leamy’s National School.
When Oliver dies in Limerick, Mam sacrifices her dignity as mother and sends her children away while she rests in bed. “Grandma comes and tells Mam she has to get up. There are children alive and they need their mother.” (p.85) Angela knows she needs to be a mother but by sacrificing her motherhood, she rests, and she mourns for her children who have passed on and in a sense regains her strength so she can deal with her other children.
Malachy’s “pride” and “dignity” is actually the downfall for the family, Malachy is too proud and can’t deal with some people maybe thinking he has no respect for himself. Angela doesn’t understand because she will do anything for her children and Malachy doesn’t understand what it is to be totally devoted to a person. “Mam says ’tis alright for her to be begging at the Saint Vincent De Paul...
To view the complete essay, you be registered.