Angela's Ashes -and- Oscar Wilde

"Through our sunless lanes creeps Poverty with her hungry eyes, and Sin with his sodden face follows close behind her. Misery wakes us in the morning and Shame sits with us at night." -Oscar Wilde

POVERTY: This quote of Oscar Wilde's explains the events explained in Angela's Ashes in every best way possible. When you read this quote, one can gain the sense of how a person, or many persons can be haunted by the misfortunes of life...with the most prominent one being poverty. This is most certainly the case for the meek McCourt family. Angela and Malachy...two people of simple roots are joined together in marriage, but who would ever have thought that problems would be such as they are. I feel, and I am sure that others would agree, that the McCourt family, mostly Angela, cannot seem to get a break! Angela has more mouths than she can feed...and she is so overwhelmed...there is essentially no way for her to escape! From America to Ireland, poverty consistently follows them...and there is now getting away. When they have to resort to hand-outs from thankfully gracious shopkeepers, you know that they have finally hit rock bottom. Not only must poverty follow the McCourt family every day, but they must also live with the death of their children, especially, the precious baby girl, Margaret.

SIN: Parents always want to teach their children good values, but as said in the quote, along with Poverty also comes SIN...Frank must resort to wrong-doings and sin, just so that he could obtain sustenance from his family. Frank, probably knowing that it was wrong, stole bananas from the street corner just so that he could provide sustenance for he and his brothers. Only desperate times of despair would cause a well-raised person to do something such as this. The father, Malachy McCourt takes part in his own moral sin as well because of his drinking problem. IT IS TRULY A SIN that he chooses to drink rather than putting food in the mouths of his children. In times of poverty comes sin, from sin then comes a sense of despair and...

MISERY: Every day poor Angela McCourt is a tortured soul. With the stress of caring for her children and the stress of losing some of her children, the like, really has made her into a person with a heart torn into pieces. She must move from NY to only be around members of her family that resent her because of the choices that she has made, such as having so many children. However, the truth is, she has a good heart despite her mistakes, and she loves all of her children...even though she may not be able to care for them properly. Every day, the focus of that day's happenings is "How are we going to get by?"... Picking stray coal from the streets and looking for charity and hand-outs, I am sure, is very miserable for Angela, knowing that her life has gone in such a harsh direction...and this is what brings her to ...

SHAME: Shame for the fact that she has let things get this way, shame from the fact that her husband is a lousy drunk that cannot provide for their family, shame that her children a dirty...DEAD...and uncared for. Shame is knowing that you cannot live your life in the way that you planned it.

Oscar Wilde knows perfectly the life of the McCourt family. Their days follow a strict schedule of pain and misery...their lives are haunted with poverty...and the truth is, that these things are a part of their everyday lives.

The Effect of "Heavy Boots"

Heavy boots. This is a term that we often seen used by Oskar, but what does is really mean in the story? Why does Oskar have heavy boots, and why does he always seem to be wearing them? The terms "heavy boots" signifies Oskar's emotional baggage and emotional state of mind throughout his journey to find the "Black" connection to his father. Whenever he is sad, worried, distressed, scared, etc...it seems that his heavy boots are put on. Now, we can think of heavy boots in the literal sense. When you wear them, your stride, and your ability to move forward is hindered. This is what exactly happens to Oskar in his journey. All of these questions, concerns, and fears are weighing him down, but because of his unique personality, he is often able to help himself propel forward and seek the answers to the questions that he has been looking for. By his use of the term, "heavy boots", we as readers can remember the fragile young age that Oskar is actually at, and it helps us to identify more with him. For myself personally, every time I saw Oskar talk about his heavy boots, it made me feel as if I was there with him, as if I was a part of his pain, and that I was traveling his journey with him. With this term being so abstract, and rarely used, it would make one think that it would have no effect on others, but in hindsight, it actually does. It simplifies something that we often make too complicated. We use words to portray ideas and feelings, and sometimes, our true thoughts and feelings are lost in translation because we try too hard to express them. With heavy boots, there is no interpretation to be done, it is the truth: plain and simple. Now it might seem as if I am contradicting myself: but heavy boots is abstract, and simplified at the same time. It is language rarely used, but it is forever telling.The effect that heavy boots has on the reader is something that should be appreciated. I believe that it makes Oskar and the reader, together as one. One may read "heavy boots" and think, "Hey, I have felt that way before, but I never thought of those words to express it". The reader can now realize that others may be going through similar things as them, and it gives them a sense of equality with the world around them. When Oskar wears his heavy boots, it seems that you are wearing a pair too. Despite the hindrance of heavy boots, Oskar is strong enough to continue forward, and seek to "avenge" the death of his father.

"THE FACT IS, THAT TO DO ANYTHING IN THE WORLD WORTH DOING, WE MUST NOT STAND BACK SHIVERING AND THINKING OF THE COLD AND DANGER, BUT JUMP IN AND SCRAMBLE THROUGH AS WELL AS WE CAN"----Robert Cushing

Oskar knows not to be afraid of the world around him, but to utilize it, appreciate it, and show others some things that they might have never seen before. Despite heavy boots, Oskar has the ability to befriend, and express affection for, perfect strangers.