Frank Malachy In Angela's Ashes

Throughout Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt’s father, Malachy, had a purely negative effect on not only Frank, but also the rest of his family. I think that nothing he did positively affected them, even if they seemed like they did. Malachy put himself first constantly, and in my opinion he did not care about his family at all, after the tragedy of losing three of his other children. The three main reasons that I believe he negatively affected his family are because he had a serious alcohol addiction, that he had too much pride in himself, and that he left his family to go to England. Saying that Malachy had a drinking problem would be an understatement. Once you get to the point that you would rather buy alcohol for yourself and go out to …show more content…
For someone who sings and wanders around drunk, it is funny that he would have pride in himself in other situations. He refused to dress down, even if it was cheaper, because he always wanted to look his best at work no matter what the job was. He even said, “You have to keep the dignity. Wear your collar and tie, keep up the appearance and never ask for anything.” (McCourt, 95) Another prime example of his self-pride would be how he acted towards the coal that fell off the back of the truck, “Even the poorest of the poor don't go out on Christmas Day picking coal off the road. There's no use asking Dad to go because he will never stoop that low and even if he did he won't carry things through the streets. It's a rule he has.” (McCourt, 99) So even though his family was freezing and needed warmth, he would not pick up coal from the road. He also refused to ask the Saint Vincent DePaul Society for any help, because it would get in the way of his high pride in himself. My final example of how Malachy had too much pride in himself is when he refused to steal fruit from his …show more content…
He went off to England to fight in World War II, and he promised that he would send back the family money. If you have read the story to this point, you would not believe that he was going to send back any money, and he did not. They also found out that he kept up with his drinking habits even though he was gone, “Mr. Downes says that Malachy McCourt is gone pure mad with the drink, that he squanders his wages in pubs all over Coventry, that he sings Irish rebel songs which the English don’t mind…” (McCourt, 230) He also only returned once, for Christmas. Once again, he was obnoxious, did not care about the family, and showed up late. He did not bring back any money; all he brought was a box of half eaten chocolates. You might things would be better without him, but since he moved, they also had to move. They ended up living with their cousin, Laman Griffin. Things only get worse from there. Not only is he also an alcoholic, but he is abusive. Not only does he hit the children, but he also sexually abuses Frank’s mother, Angela. Neither of those things would have happened if Malachy had just stayed home with them. I believe that Malachy should have never had children and should not have gotten married. All he ever did was make their lives miserable and left a bad impression on them. To restate the previous paragraphs, Malachy McCourt had a completely negative effect on his family,