Angela’s Ashes was first printed in 1996 and received the Pulitzer Prize in 1997. The book is an autobiographical account of Frank (Francis) McCourt’s days growing up in New York City and Limerick, Ireland. He had a large family that struggled for every bit of money they had.
His father got paid once a week and drank all of it away at the local pubs. Angela McCourt, Frank’s mother, sent her children into the pubs in New York City along the streets they lived to find the father and stop him from wasting all of the money. Most of the time the father couldn’t be found, but could be heard singing patriotic songs of Ireland. One of his favorite singers was Kevin Barry.
In Mountjoy jail one Monday morning
High upon the gallows tree
Kevin Barry gave his young life
For the cause of liberty
But a lad of eighteen summers
Yet no one can deny
As he walked to death that morning
He proudly held his head on high
Just because he would not tell
The names of his brave companions
And other things they wished to know
“Turn informer or we’ll kill you”
Kevin Barry answered, “no”
Calmly standing to attention
While he bade his last farewell
To his broken hearted mother
Whose grief no one can tell
For the cause he proudly cherished
This sad parting had to be
Then to death walked softly smiling
That old Ireland might be free
Just before he faced the hangman
In his dreary prison cell
British soldiers tortured Barry
Another martyr for old Ireland
Another murder for the crown
Whose brutal laws may kill the Irish
But can’t keep their spirit down
Lads like Barry are no cowards
From the foe they will not fly
Lads like Barry will free Ireland
For her sake they’ll live and die
Their father was obsessed with going back to Ireland and made the boys promise to fight for Ireland no matter how horrid their situation became. Eventually the family returned to Ireland because they didn’t fare well in the United States because of the father’s drinking problem. Their situation became dire in Ireland because the family had to beg for food or depend upon the “dole”, a type of credit for food or clothing from a local church.
The living situation of the family was awful. In one home, the entire place was overrun with fleas and lice. The family lived in the upstairs floor, that they donned it Italy, because water would flood the first floor. It was intended to be a place of warmth, like Italy. They lived next to a lavatory which make the entire home reek.
These types of descriptions run rampant through Angela’s Ashes. The book continues through Frank’s life as a small boy until early adulthood. His goal was to return to America – even if he had to steal the money.
I found this book very difficult to read. I couldn’t really attach myself to any of the characters because our living conditions are so different. I never had to beg for food or live in horrid conditions – I’ve been very lucky. Frank would resort to stealing at times so his family could eat. There is a huge dependency upon the Catholic faith in this book and it shows how repressed the people are. For example, one of Frank’s co-workers swears his girlfriend, Rose, who stayed in England to save money, had cheated on him with an Englishman because she walked differently. She never cheated. The co-worker insisted she had, though. The book is filled with depressing accounts and sadness of the Irish. There are many details referring to the Irish history and how the English always treated them badly (for 800 years according to the book). I never have done an in depth study of Ireland, so I was unaware of many of the battle references and famines. Even though I am part Irish, I felt very disconnected from this book. Part of it is because I grew up in the United States in a totally different time than Frank. Another part is that I haven’t studied the Irish history to have a full understanding.
Overall, I’m glad I read this book and got through it, but I probably won’t read it again. It was too difficult to read and at times, bored me.
One song that was used throughout the book was one called “The Road to Rasheen.” Frank wanted to learn this song by heart and understand the meaning. I tried to find the lyrics, but couldn’t find them.
♥ – Erin
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