"Angela's Ashes" - Questions

Looking forward to seeing you all on the 23rd.  Hope you're enjoying the book. Following are a few questions to get everyone thinking...

1. Countless memoirs have been published, yet Angela's Ashes stands out. What makes this memoir so unique and compelling?

2. On the first page of Angela's Ashes, McCourt says, "worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood." In what ways was his childhood miserable? How did being Irish and being Catholic contribute to his misery?

3. Why do you think McCourt titled the memoir Angela's Ashes, after his mother? What significance does the phrase "Angela's Ashes" acquire by the end of the book?

4. How would you describe his mother's presence in McCourt's childhood? What role do women play in McCourt’s memoir? Is it fair to describe their characterization as stereotypical? In what ways do these interactions reflect the roles of women within their families? Do you see Angela as a strong, or weak woman.

5. McCourt writes: "I think my father is like the Holy Trinity with three people in him, the one in the morning with the paper, the one at night with the stories and prayers, and then the one who does the bad thing and comes home with the smell of whiskey and wants us to die for Ireland."

Why does Frank rarely blame his father for the suffering that his alcoholism inflicts upon the family? How does this lack of censure affect the moral tone of McCourt’s memoir? How can Frank write about his father without bitterness?

6. How would you describe McCourt's view of the Catholic Church? In what ways does the Catholic Church of McCourt's Ireland hurt its members and limit their experience? How does the Church protect and nurture its followers?

7. Irish songs and lyrics are prominently featured in Angela's Ashes. How do these lyrics contribute to the unique voice of this memoir? How does music affect Frank's experiences? How do you think it continues to influence his memories of his childhood?

8. Despite the McCourts' horrid poverty, mind-numbing starvation, and devastating losses, Angela's Ashes is not a tragic memoir. In fact, it is uplifting, triumphant even. How does McCourt accomplish this?

9. What do you think McCourt’s primary motivation was for writing his memoir?