Angela's Ashes Respone

           When first beginning Angela’s Ashes, I was not expecting the book to open with the McCourt family’s move back to Ireland from the United States. This book differs from nearly all the other books in this course in this respect.  Most others begin after a move to America has already been made and the reader must construct each immigrant’s past based on dialogue, reflection, or flashbacks.  However, through this unique narrative Frank McCourt is able to present both the effects of a failed attempt at immigration and describe in detail the events which result in a return to America by the end of the book.  

            The first facet of McCourt’s narrative which most interested me is the way in which the story comes full circle.  Frank’s memoir begins with his mother Angela’s arrival in New York after her mother told her she was useless in Ireland.  However, Angela’s possibilities for a better future quickly end when she becomes pregnant by a Northern Irish alcoholic immigrant and is encouraged to marry him.  Her marriage to Malachy McCourt leads to a return to Ireland, strained relationships with her relatives, several children, and a life filled with pain, hunger, and difficulty.  Despite Angela's misfortunate experience in America, her son Frank returns to America as a young adult.  Surprisingly, his time in America also begins with a sexual encounter, this time with a married American woman.  This leads me to question whether misfortune is also in his future as a result of this and other “freedoms” the new world offers.  

            A second facet of this memoir which contributes to the intrigue of the content is the effect that Frank McCourts parentage, religion, and socioeconomic background have on his childhood and decision to immigrate.  After the move back to Ireland, Frank is disadvantaged because of his father’s drinking and work habits and his Northern Irish heritage.  His alcoholism prevents his family from thriving or attaining the comforts and new technology their neighbors have. The prejudice against his Northern heritage was surprising to me, mostly because of my lack of knowledge about Ireland and Irish history.  That all the Irish were united in their views of Protestants and English and also harbored prejudice against each other was a new concept to me.  Secondly, Frank’s Irish culture is suffused with Catholicism.  Baptism, confirmation, communion, confession, and the prejudice of priests are each addressed in Frank’s life.  Many of his interactions with the Catholic institution are negative such as when the door is slammed on him after his interest in becoming an altar boy.  Finally, his father’s failure to provide for his family keeps them in poverty.  They rely on the dole, begging, and stealing to survive. In this book, the author’s familiarity with the poor Irish Catholic experience adds to the authenticity of the story. 

            Frank McCourt’s Memoir was an unexpected book for this course.  However, it’s insights about the immigrant’s experience before coming to the new world are helpful to understand the immigrant’s experience after arriving in the new world.  Both Angela and Frank’s stories develop the appeal Frank sees in the opportunity and freedom American has to offer.