Angela’s Ashes is a memoir by Frank McCourt, published in 1996. It takes place briefly in New York and then moves on to Limerick during the 1930s and 1940s. Frank McCourt lives with his family in Brooklyn where his mother, Angela, struggles to feed the children and his father, Malachy, spends all his wages on alcohol. When Frank’s baby sister, Margaret, dies and Angela falls into depression the McCourts decide to return to Ireland where more problems await them. Growing up in Ireland, Catholicism was the major religion and Limerick was considered by the residents to be the holiest city in the world because of the Arch Confraternity (AA, 162) of the Holy Trinity. Frank was baptized as a catholic; however, he did not have a very good relationship
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According to this Bible quote one should treat others well in order to please God, but the Church refused to help Frank on a few important occasions. Frank’s father wanted him to become an altar boy and spent hours training him in Latin and how to act as an altar boy, but when they finally went to the church to offer his service. The priest simply looks at him and says they do not have place for him, before closing the door on him and Angela gets angry and states that “(…) they want the nice boys with hair oil and the new shoes that have fathers with suits and ties and steady jobs” (AA, 167). The second time he gets the doors “slammed” in his face (AA, 337) is when Mr. O’Halloran suggests that Frank should be taken to the Christian Brothers and apply for secondary school, but again the priest takes a quick glance at Frank and his mother and closes the doors. Thirdly, he was rejected a confession the day before his 16th birthday because he was drunk. The one time the Church allowed Frank to do something was when he wanted to become a missionary, and that would benefit the church, which is probably why they allowed it. There are also a couple of examples of religious hypocrisy outside the church. According to this Bible verse: “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (New International Version, Matthew 7:2) one should not judge others, but that is exactly what his grandmother does when she blames his bad manners on his father being a Limerick man. Second, when his father takes Frank to mass on Christmas, he tells him that Mary is sad because Jesus must die. Frank ask why Jesus must die and his father responds by saying, “You can’t ask questions like that” (AA, 108), but this contradicts the following Bible verses: “These commandments that I give you
According to this Bible quote one should treat others well in order to please God, but the Church refused to help Frank on a few important occasions. Frank’s father wanted him to become an altar boy and spent hours training him in Latin and how to act as an altar boy, but when they finally went to the church to offer his service. The priest simply looks at him and says they do not have place for him, before closing the door on him and Angela gets angry and states that “(…) they want the nice boys with hair oil and the new shoes that have fathers with suits and ties and steady jobs” (AA, 167). The second time he gets the doors “slammed” in his face (AA, 337) is when Mr. O’Halloran suggests that Frank should be taken to the Christian Brothers and apply for secondary school, but again the priest takes a quick glance at Frank and his mother and closes the doors. Thirdly, he was rejected a confession the day before his 16th birthday because he was drunk. The one time the Church allowed Frank to do something was when he wanted to become a missionary, and that would benefit the church, which is probably why they allowed it. There are also a couple of examples of religious hypocrisy outside the church. According to this Bible verse: “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (New International Version, Matthew 7:2) one should not judge others, but that is exactly what his grandmother does when she blames his bad manners on his father being a Limerick man. Second, when his father takes Frank to mass on Christmas, he tells him that Mary is sad because Jesus must die. Frank ask why Jesus must die and his father responds by saying, “You can’t ask questions like that” (AA, 108), but this contradicts the following Bible verses: “These commandments that I give you