Minority Perspective
Introduction
Being a British colony for hundreds of years, poor Ireland became a stark picture of extreme poverty. It was defined by starvation. During the great famine in the middle of the nineteenth century, the whole Irish population was decimated by starvation and external migration. Frank McCourt's Angela’s Ashes vividly recounts the hardships of the Irish people. Frank’s family survived through one important character – her mother (McCourt, p. 25). Significant women also supported Frank’s family and these include his grandmother, his Aunt Aggie, his women relatives, among others.
McCourt's growing up years in Limerick was depicted by the never ending, sorry conditions, which were typical of any working class in Ireland during that time. This scenario proves to be an effective backdrop for molding the women characters in the story. By being true to his experiences, McCourt recounted the most significant roles and functions of women and how travails can be survived because of them (Low, et. al. p. 1).
The social prejudices in the minority were shown in the story not only by the class distinctions of the Catholic Church but also of the pressing conditions which make womanhood a poor yet triumphant position amidst the poverty. This is all based on the poverty surrounding the place. This paper will discuss the various sufferings and hardships Angela had experienced and how it affected her family. These sufferings are pitted against her love for her husband, her love for her children and her utmost faith in God. The limitations against the women as depicted by Frank’s mother were not so much about being prejudiced but more of the difficult situation and her resolve to stand up for her family (Wakefield, p. 96). The graphic and reliable documentation of the women’s roles in the actual circumstances, misfortunes and stringent class distinctions during the time of stark poverty actually reflects who women are in such trying times. The true recount of Frank as to what they have experienced added up to the genuineness of the role of women. They are the real heroes but they are not actually recognized as such.
Minority Issues
The women in Angela’s Ashes were very significant. They have greatly influenced the life of the hero and how he lived. The prejudice was there yet the presentation of women was raised to a higher level. They have a leading role in the family. This is mainly shown by Frank’s mother, Angela.
Women are generally portrayed in society as very domicile, obedient, pliant, long sufferer, and prude, among others. At an extreme, they are portrayed as ambitious, critical, jaded, bitter, aggressive, etc. During Ireland’s solid Catholicism, the men were the dominant characters in Church and in religion (p. 98). Yet, the real power and influence lie in women.
Frank’s mother, Angela, took the pains of carrying the responsibilities of being both a father and a mother to her children. Frank’s father was alcoholic and she made everything possible in order to support her family. She was interestingly not the martyr type because she was shown to be an authoritative figure. She despised his husband’s ways and looked down on him (p. 100). Part of her power came from her economic independence. She paid the fare all the way back to Ireland and she first shouldered the expenses when their family moved back to limerick (p. 101).
Angela and her children would do anything for survival. She lived by picking up and collecting coals which fell from the trucks delivering it. She also begged at St. Vincent de Paul Protestant church, at the Redemptorist Church and at the dispensary (McCourt, p. 225) Angela even prostituted herself in order to keep her children live in a decent place. She even allowed for her cousin to be cruel to her children just as they might have a shelter. This is one of the ultimate evidence of how a mother and a woman will do everything, even sell herself to protect and support her family. She provided all the love the family, especially her children, needed. She still loved her husband even when he was a failure.
Her values and principles were reflected by her Catholic upbringing. She taught her family the Catholic faith. She also encouraged Frank to join the church, take his Holy Communion and join the Confraternity (p. 173).
Angela is a victim of the social ills. She was a victim of her town, Limerick City and her husband and children (Book Biographies and Memoirs, p. 1). She tried to overcome the situation and tried her best to uplift her family’s conditions but to no avail. She failed. She was a victim of her miscarriages and her dying children. She always gets pregnant and within six years, she conceived seven children. Such physical abuse was shown to highlight the resilience of her character. She had one miscarriage and she buried three of her six children at a young age of three (Hannan, p. 1). All these were brought about by the forces beyond her control. She carried the painful memories as it is very painful to survive one’s own child. She could have gone crazy except that she stood on, regained her composure and held on to her faith.
The story also evidenced how strong and resilient women are. The migration to United States and coming back come to Ireland, the deaths of her children and the alcoholism of her husband were all taken by Angela in stride. Such courage and spirit give inspirations to thousands of readers, especially women who might be suffering in one way or the other.
Other women characters who shared their important feminine traits include Frank’s Aunt Aggie, Frank’s grandmother, the MacNamara sister, etc. Aunt Aggie seemed to resent taking care of Frank and his siblings but she stayed on to this important duty even when she was rude and unpleasant to them. She was also a symbol of loyalty and she made the children realized that Angela is a very good mother. The MacNamara Sisters, on the other hand, represented the other members of the McCourt family. They showed how some women used their beauty and their social positions to inch themselves towards the better life and the higher levels of society. They married American men. While they may have succumbed to this by choice or poverty, they did not forget their Catholic faith. They still believed in the Catholic creed and always wished their family members well.
Frank’s grandmother showed the strength of on’es faith and spirit. This was symbolized by her refusal to take dole out foods from the Protestant charities. She would even stay hungry than eat their food or eat her pride and faith. She has a strong influence in the McCourt’s family and she tried her best to shape her chandchildren’s morality and religious faith. She tried to hold them together as one united brood.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the book, Angela’s Ashes, depicted the women character in the most shining ways amidst poverty and sufferings. This is a true homage of the writer to the travails and the triumphs their family has gone through. It is interesting to note that without the strong characters of women in the story, the true redemption from the Irish poverty may not have been so meaningful.
Angela, in the story and in her reallife, embodies the true spirit of womanhood. Even when she was prejudiced and vicitmized by the general society through poverty and religious duties, she consistently did what she could.
Whiel some people may question her morality and judge her as immoral for her recourse of sleeping with her first cousin so that her family will continue to have a shelter, I still believe she did it with all her heart. She did so because she thought or felt that time that there was no other alternatives left. She cared so much for her chdlren that she would even lose her life for them.
Thsi makes this story a very touching one. It is more than the true hardhsips that we survive, it is because of the people who love us and will do everything to keep us safe and secure. Angela is truly admirable and she is an inspiration to all the women who are in trying times.
Works Cited:
Book Biographies and Memoirs. Angela’s Ashes Reviews. October 3, 2010. Accessed on 28 March 2012 < http://booksonbooksall.blogspot.com/2010/10/angela-ashes.html>.
Hannan, Gerard. Angela’s Ashes; Untold Stories. Excerpts from Limerick And The Art Of Storytelling. n.d. Accessed on 28 March 2012 < http://www.limerick.com/angelasashes/angelasashesstorytelling.html>.
Low, Cassie, Miller, Kayla, Wallat, Leo, Baller, Michael, Bronson, Jesse, Heiges, Ginny, & Chesterman, Kambrie. Significance of Women in Angela’s Ashes. Web. Accessed on 28 March 2012 < https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:EpupTMTtTe0J:www.crookcounty.k12.or.us/Portals/1/English/aa%2520-Significance%2520of%2520Women%2520in%2520Angela%25E2%2580%2599s%2520Ashes.ppt+angela%27s+ashes+%2B+women+struggles&hl=tl&gl=ph&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShjqL-DqriFgz7LUK-cJCJCk3CTctMq3rCGc76fWTeGZcb3ZxLheW1Xg48Po4AkOqqylDZykdAGG0xINItOJo2gyYP86VW5iBt24_AHOqMFtEbhseIe89FbSTIxCxmqj8BMDoga&sig=AHIEtbRH9yfF5Kiw-n5HdcoNkVgtR5YxQw>.
McCourt, Frank. Angela’s Ashes. 1996. New York: Scribner.
Wakefield, J.M. Social Change in Ireland (1922-2000) - as Reflected in Recent Cinema. 2008. University of Aveiro. Accessed on 28 March 2012 < https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:kdzXyxtI0G4J:ria.ua.pt/bitstream/10773/2800/1/2009001097.pdf+angela%27s+ashes+%2B+poverty+and+womanhood&hl=tl&gl=ph&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESgnmshf5Kg0g3_jdulcc7An5535jegJJF9gqqKNiqpdRQ2Q4nYTcxC4e9PFoUpibyb14zeWif5T4TDT_HLhAbVPKQckjTToH-Fs06DSfxKSg8rj6DVVMD-BhdbeUE8rrniRm34r&sig=AHIEtbSxAjhbcGTq-qK6klOTRDlxJojNHw>.
