Outside Reading Post #1

I am reading the book Angela's Ashes. It's a memoir of Frank McCourt, a little Irish boy that grew up in poverty. His life was a constant struggle. Frank's life was harder than it would have been had his parents not been forced into their marriage. The McCourt's grew up in a poor neighborhood. Because his father was a drunk, his siblings and he suffered. His father, Malachy, was never able to hold a job. Angela questions, "Are you coming home so that we can have a bit of supper or will it be  midnight  with no money in your pocket...?" (McCourt 26). When Malachy knocked Angela up, he was not prepared to be a father or husband. He was constantly drunk and knew he wouldn't be able to support his family. Angela's cousins forced him to marry her when she could have done better. She could have married someone else who held a steady job and would bring his wages home. Malachy spent all his wages in the pubs and as a consequence his family never had enough food to eat or even clothes to wear. 

He also suffers because his mother is weak. She's not physically weak, but emotionally. Angela grew up poor in Limerick, Ireland, and traveled to America in hopes of a better life. Angela's cousins chides, "That's what you get for being such a fool" (McCourt 19). Angela hooked up with Malachy right after arriving in New York. She let the excitement of being in a new city, being around new people, and being free from her old life, influence her to do something rash. She ended up paying for it dearly and it affected her children too.  Angela resented being tied down to a drunk and having five children on top of it. She was never really a caring, loving mother that young children need. Had Frank grown up with a mother that truly cared for him, he would not have been so self-conscience. Both his parents made poor ethical choices; he drank himself stupid and she was too weak to say no.