Thursday, November 12, 2009
Chapter 3
In chapter 3, alot happens in the book. Oliver and Eugene pass away and its now just Frank and Malachy, but soon enough another child enters the McCourt's life, Angela has another baby boy who is named Michael. Throughout this chapter, its talks about how the family is struggling while making only 16 shillings a week, and having a family to look after. One thing I would like to connect on is how Frank and Malachy get teased. Frank is constantly teased and treated unkindly. In the beginning of the chapter, when the welfare officer says “beggars can’t be choosers,” we realize that, for the McCourts, this is not a cliche but reality for them. Frank’s schoolmates tease him as he carries the pig’s head(which is what they could get for christmas dinner), saying that the only part of the pig the McCourts don’t eat is “the oink.” Frank and Malachy get teased as they walk, dripping with rain and coal, through the streets. Frank gets teased for his shoes mended with tires. Because his father is too dignified to ask for new boots for the boys, Frank finds himself in no-man’s-land. He is not like the boys rich enough to buy new boots and not like the shoeless boys. As he says, “If you have rubber tires on your shoes you’re all alone with your brother and you have to fight your own battles.” This shows that Frank is hustling and he works hard for him and his family. He just has to accpet that this is his life style and he has to deal with it.
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I think that it's horrible that the father feels too good to beg for shoes for his sons, so they have to walk around barefoot. He really should swallow his pride and ask for shoes for his sons, or otherwise skip out on drinking and buy shoes.
ReplyDeleteI agree with raisa, like hes telling Angela not to tell them what sort of shoes they would like because shes a begger and beggers arent choosers but many he should be a man and stop frreakking drinking so mcuh and bbuy shoes for his kids. He really gets me pissed.
ReplyDeleteIts really upsetting that Malachy is embarrised to ask for shoes for his kids, when he is drinking all the money away. It is kind of dumb that he feels this way when he is the one who put his family in this position in the first place. I really don't understand why a father would put his children in these situations. I know if my dad did this to my mom, she would have left him a long time ago. Thank goodness my family knows how to take care of each other.
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