Once again, tragedy hits the McCourts. Both of Frankie's younger brothers, Oliver and Eugene, die. This hurts the McCourts in many ways. Obviously they are mourning the loss of two of their children/brothers. Also this means that they receive less money from the dole. It's true they have less mouths to feed but they still can't survive on what little money they have left over after paying rent. Living in the apartement when her twins died is haunting Angela. "She sees Eugene morning, noon and night. She sees him climbing the bed to look ou at the street for Oliver and sometimes she sees Oliver outside and Eugene inside, the two of them chatting away" (McCourt 91). Because Angela feels haunted by her sons she forces her family to move.
The move hurts the family a lot. First of all they are further away from Frankie's and Malachy's school. They have to walk a longer distance in the terrible weather which gets them sick. Another problem is that this new home costs more than the last one. They are still living on the charity money because Malachy (the father) can't find and keep a steady job. Another, less eminent problem, is that the toilet, which is by the whole lane which consists of seven houses, is located right outside the McCourts house. "These houses were built in the time of Queen Victoria herself and if this lavatory was ever cleaned it must have been done by someone in the middle of the night when no one was lookin'" (McCourt 92). To make matters even worse, the house leaks and they have to live in the upper room for the duration of winter, Malachy is still drinking away whatever money he can make, and Angela gives birth to another baby boy named Michael.
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2 comments:
How did you hear about this book? Because it seems like everyone's reading it. This sounds like a terribly depressing book. I never imagined that a family death could have such a big impact. I mean, the grief is kind of obvious, but the chain reactions like having to move and getting less income are things I wouldn't expect. It opens your eyes to all the possible effects a death could have.
Wow, the McCourts seem to have no luck whatsoever! That is horrible that the two boys died, and at such a young age. How did they die? That is interesting how they receive less money now that the two boys died. This should really effect them because they were already struggling to survive and with less it will be even more of a challenge. I also thought it was interesting how moving to a new place made many things worse. A lot of times it makes situations better, but in this case they are just getting worse and worse off.
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