Angela's Ashes Essay

Angela's Ashes is a story of a boy named Frank who lived a troublesome life. Frank's mother Angela is married to a man named Malachy, his father. The Family is always struggling to survive because Malachy spends all of his money to buy liquor. The family decides to move to Ireland for hope of a better way of life, but it doesn't happen.

Even though Frank's father Malachy alcohol addiction causes the family to be hungry, they share a bond when He tells Frank stories of past fables. Frank's mother Angela in time gives birth to two sons Alphonsus and Michael.

When Frank is ten, he is confirmed at the Catholic Church. Frank becomes sick following his confirmation and must go to the hospital, where he starts to read stories and watch many movies that he enjoys. This helps develop Frank's skills at language and reading. Because of World War II, Frank's Father goes to England in hope of finding a job and making more money, but he drinks the money away instead of sending it home. Frank works in a series of different jobs. He likes working, and wants to make enough money to support his family better. Because of lack of money, Frank's family gets evicted, so they move in with Laman who is Angela's cousin. Angela starts sleeping with Laman, which makes Frank unhappy. Frank eventually goes to New York, where he hopes to improve his life.

I thought this was a really good book. It told a very heart felt story of a little boy who did not have much, but still sought to live a good life. It was a very interesting look at a boy's childhood in Ireland. I thought it was a nice look at Irish culture and life of a poor immigrant.

The part of the book that I did not like is that I wished it would have told more about the kid's life after he moved back to New York. I thought the kid had such a miserable life that he could at least become a great success when he moved back to America. Overall, it was a good book, and I would recommend it for reading in a Literature class, although I would not recommend it for leisure reading because I probably would not have read it on my own.