Angela's Ashes Literary Analysis

Did you know that 717 million people are suffering from poverty right now and living on less than $1.90 a day? (World Bank). That means that everywhere in the world, people of all ages are starving and have no money to provide for their families. Similarly, "Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt and "The Street" by Ann Petry both show themes of poverty but, more importantly, themes of persistence and how they continued to persevere when things get tough through characters, events, and setting. Frank McCourt and Ann Petry's use of setting reveals the theme of poverty, and how peserverance were used to strive when situations get tough. A quote from the story Angela's Ashes sets the stage for theme throughout the book, "Mam sits by the fire shivering. There's no money in the house not even enough for bread." (McCourt 1). This statement demontrates the settiing and that it's very …show more content…
Notably in "Angela's Ashes", Frank decides he must steal in order to accommodate for his family's hunger, Frank describes a time when we first stole, "two bottles of lemonade up my jersey and I saunter away, trying to look innocent." (McCourt 5). This proves that Frank would do anything, to any extent for his family who has nothing; this is a great example of persevering when situations get tough. In another way, an event in "The Street" provdies vivid details that connects the story to the theme. Petry explains the onerous journey Lutie Johnson is enduring, "Each time she thought she had the sign in focus, the wind pushed it away from her." (Petry 3). Consequently, Lutie is trying to read a sign with information on a house that might benfit her, meanwhile the wind is violently turning the sign away from her. This quote analyzes how no matter the situation, Lutie was not going to give up until she found the perfect home for her family and defeated