Powerful But Troubling - There Are No Excuses
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
My idea of a good book is on that makes me think and one that makes me feel. Angela's Ashes fits the bill on both counts, although I almost stopped early on in the book, because I responded so emotionally that I wasn't sure I could continue on and keep my cool. This is a powerful true story, but one that should never have happened. No child should come up like this, and that was my problem in dealing with reading this popular non-fiction book.
Frank McCourt recounts his childhood here starting in New York but then shifting over to Ireland. His mother, Angela, had immigrated to America as a young woman, but the first thing she did was get pregnant. She saw a dashing young Irishman at the bar, lifted her skirts, and so started this awful tale of spiraling stupidity.
Certainly Angela was not the first young woman to get knocked up at a bar and then end up in a shotgun wedding. The problem, though, was that she couldn't manage to learn from mistakes. Instead of taking stock of her life and making solid decisions for the sake of her child, she simply lived like an animal — dirt poor and churning out babies. She popped out five babies in four years before her stateside relatives stepped in and begged her mother to send fare for the whole family to return to the homeland and hopefully make a clean (the kids were chronically filthy) start.
Needless to say, the Italian relatives were not too thrilled to get saddled with Angela, a drunkard husband and four babies. The only daughter (the fifth child) died right before they fled the States. By the time Angela arrived in Italy, she was again with child though miscarried that one. Then, the two twins died — first one and then several months later the other. In all cases, the babies probably died of starvation and nasty living conditions. The kids were basically living on water spiked with a little sugar and being cared for by older siblings starting with babysitting at age four by Frank (the author).
During all this Angela was constantly trying to track down Malachy (her husband) who was generally off drinking up every cent he earned. Then, she'd take to her bad and moan about her health (constant pregnancy does not do a body good) and mourning the deaths of her babies. She seemed to always be of the mind that things would turn around when it was quite obvious that Malachy wasn't going to stop drinking and that she was not going to stop cranking out kids she couldn't care for or even feed.
There are some people who are and always will be poor. No matter who helps and how often, it won't ever be enough. We've got a couple of them in my family. They get chances and more chances, but they always manage to travel the low road. This might be fine I guess if they didn't have to bring children into the picture. Once a child or children are involved, then it's time to stop being stupid. If a body can't feed them and buy shoes and clothes, then they shouldn't keep having kids.
Throughout the story, Frank is penalized for the sins of his mother and father. It's not fair, but when a child is filthy and smells awful, many people will just try to look the other way. This is what happened over and over again in the story, though the silver lining (so to speak) is that every now and then someone would make an effort. The main problem, I think, is that such help is never ending. Someone steps up with bread one day, but a kid needs that every day and much more. I know I can buy diapers for my cousin's baby, but they will be gone in a couple of days. She will spend any cent she can get her hand's on for drugs. The diapers don't really help much — probably only mean a little more that she can invest in drugs. It's so "no win" that it's hard to stay invested in trying to help.
This story was set in the Depression era and things are better (in a warped sort of way) today with government programs to help. Still, I doubt that kids have it much better when stuck with deadbeat parents — then or now. I read horror tales of women trading out food stamps for cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs. When idiots are left in charge of kids, they don't make good decisions favoring the welfare of the children. I can only hope that some of the food programs do ensure that no child today ends up licking the grease off a newspaper as Frank did. That was his food for the day — grease on a newspaper sucked off the headlines and stories.
I really don't know that children's homes and foster care are the answer. Certainly, there are horror stories about kids jerked out of homes and placed in agency care. But, there are surely cases (and Frank and his siblings are prime examples) where I can't imagine that anything could be more awful than what they had to live with. It's a sad statement about the world in general when little children must go beg and steal to keep from starving.
While Angela could not manage to feed her kids on a regular basis, she did make sure that they had fancy communion suits. It meant a darn lot to her to parade them around town for all to see that they had come of age and met church standards. She could also justify somehow going out for fish and chips on the day the second twin was buried. Eating out is expensive. I can only guess how many beans or other staples she could have bought rather than justifying a splurge when they did not, in fact, have the money for that sort of thing.
Certainly Frank's writings were vivid. I could see his mother, father, siblings, relatives, teachers, neighbors, and friends clearly in my mind. In most cases, I wanted to jack these folks up. Not so much the ones not directly responsible. An uncle should not have to move up to the loft of his own home so that a woman who multiplies like a rabbit can take over a house with her kids in tow. Of course, she paid him off in sex. So, I'm not saying he was a good guy either. But, Angela surely sucked dry a lot of people in the course of her sorry life.
Frank also got some sorry treatment from his church — the Catholic church. Every sad tale of abuse ever mentioned in connection with the Church is probably highlighted here. As his mother noted, they did slam the door in his face. Though he was a bright kid, he was not considered for altar boy or for higher education. The church people should have looked beyond his dire poverty. But, it's hard to step up and cover all the costs and needs of someone so dreadfully lacking in the basics. I'm not excusing the church officials, but the parents do bear much of the blame here too.
I'm not an elitist, and I've certainly never been rich (or close). I've been a single parent and on that arbitrary poverty line. I think I've worked my tail off and have every right to say that some people should not be allowed to have kids. Certainly if you have one that you clearly can't take care of, there is no excuse to keep pumping them out for others to pay for (or not — as in the case with this older story). In this situation, things were so dire, they just kept having them and then killing them with neglect.
I would love to face down Frank's mom (and even the dad) and ask: "How could you do this? How could you look in the mirror? How could you go to the grave knowing that you failed so miserably and often?" I'd have to say that kids deserve better and that one mistake might be understandable but to keep having kids and letting them die (while acting oh so sorry) is unforgivable. Kids mean responsibility. To short children in this way must be that mortal sin that no one can put a finger on.
The whole books chronicles Frank through these years of unforgivable abuse. The book is followed by a story called Tis which I think I may pick up and read. Certainly, the rest of the story would have to be happier than the years captured for all time here. I care enough about the young child/teen I followed through 362 pages to want to see how he turned things around.
I'm aware that this book was made into a movie. I'm really not sure I could handle the film. I was so appalled with the way the mother (and father) handled things that I'm not sure I could sit and watch it unfold with characters showcasing the action. The images in my head are bad enough without seeing this first (second) hand.
