struggle even harder for a better life.
2. Frank’s Struggle
Frank has to struggle for life in order to change his life and his family’s life. He wants to have a better life both for him and his family and to pursuit his dream
of going to America. In the story, there are three ways that he does. The first is to find good jobs; the second is to give the family a better life, and the last is to
pursuit his dream of going to America. Because of the problems that emerge in his life, Frank needs some adjustment in order to be able to solve all his problems.
Morris 490 states that every adjustment is an attempt to balance our desire toward the demand of the environment, to weigh our needs and to cope as well as we can
within the limits of situation.
a. Finding good jobs
In order to be able to struggle for life, Frank has to find good jobs so that he is able to bring home the money that his family desperately needs to buy food and
other daily needs. Frank knows since he is a little boy, his father barely has a steady job and barely brings the wages that he earns for the family. Frank also
knows that his father always spends all his wages to on alcohol and never take care of his starving family at home. Since then, he is determined to grow up soon and
take his position to be a family man in his family so that he can bring home his wages for his family.
Frank’s first job is to take Bill Galvin’s dinner in the Limekiln. His grandma gives him an opportunity to help her deliver the dinner for Bill Galvin.
From his grandma, Frank earns sixpence a week and he gives it to his mother151.
Unfortunately, this job does not last long because one night Frank eats all the dinner that his grandma makes for Bill Galvin and he loses his job.
After his first job, Frank gets a job to help his poor uncle Pat to sell the newspapers. His grandma asks her mother to allow Frank to help his uncle selling
the “Limerick Leader” every Friday. Uncle Pat has a bad leg so he actually needs Frank to help him. Unfortunately he is not that kind to Frank. For his first delivery,
Frank only gets three pence and for his second delivery he gets sixpence. Uncle Pat feels that he does not need Frank’s help anymore since he does not want to pay the
money to Frank. He could get out an’ help poor Pat of a Friday night when the “Limerick
Leader” is a ton weight. He could run up the long garden paths of the
quality an’ save Pat’s poor legs an’ earn a few pennies into the bargain 194.
When he delivers the “Limerick Leader”, Frank meets Mr. Timoney who then gives him a job to read him a book in his house every Saturday morning.
Frank accepts Mr. Timoney’s offers because he can earn sixpence from him. What’s your name?
Frank, sir. Can you read?
I can sir. Do you want to earn a sixpence?
I do, sir. Come here tomorrow at eleven and read to me. I will sir 197.
His job to read a book for Mr. Timoney somehow does not last long since Mr. Timoney is taken to the City Home because he gets mad and never stops laughing.
Then Frank gets another job from his neighbour to deliver the coal to people around Limerick. Mr. Hannon needs Frank’s help because he has poor legs
like uncle Pat. The difference is that Frank enjoys his job with Mr. Hannon because
he can learn how to use the cart and he can earn a sixpence for his mother. Another misfortune comes. His eyes are infectious as the coal dust almost destroys his eyes.
With sad feelings he looses the job and is unable to give his mother the money that they need.
Mrs. Hannon tells my mother that John is getting worse every day, And what would you think, Mrs. McCourt, if your boy Frankie went on the float
with him a few hours a week and helped him with the bags? We can barely afford it but Frankie could earn a shilling or two and John could rest his
poor legs 297-98.
After Frank recovers from the infection, a kind priest namely Father Cowpar puts him to work as a temporary telegram boy. Frank always wants to get a
better job than before. According to Braun, Linder and Asimow 478-80, one of the categories in adjustment that people can do in order to cope with difficulties is
through problem solving or called as coping. In the novel, Frank solves his problem by accepting a job as a temporary telegram boy. He wants the job because he wants
to give his mother the money and he also wants to save his money to realizes his dream of going to America. From this job, he earns one pound and it is enough to
buy food and save some of his money in the post office. At the end of the week Mrs. O’Connell hands me the first wages of my life,
a pound, my first pound. I run down the stairs and up to O’Connell Street, the main street, where the lights are on and the people are going home from
work, people like me with the wages in their pockets 367.
Along with his job as a telegram boy, Frank also receives an offer from Mrs. Finucane, that is to write threatening letters to her costumers. From every
letter Frank’s writes he will then earn three pence and another three pence if it brings in a payment. He writes on behalf of Mrs. Finucane and he feels guilty
because on the list that Mrs. Finucane gives there are names of his mother’s friends
and his own aunt Aggie. She says, How old are you boy?
Fifteen and a half, Mrs. Finucane. Are you shmart, boy? Are you anyway intelligent?
I can read and write, Mrs. Finucane. Can you write a letter?
I can. She wants me to write letters to her customers. She says, I’ll give yo u
threepence for every letter you write and another threepence if it brings a payment. If you want the job come here on Thursday and Friday nights,
and bring your own paper and envelopes 387-88.
From the job, Frank can earn a lot of money where he can save it in the post office to buy a ticket to America. He enjoys the job though he has to write threatening
letters to his own aunt and his mother’s friends. Frank’s last job before he decides to go to America is to deliver the English
Protestant Newspaper for Easons Ltd. Actually he has to take the telegram boy examination so that he can be a permanent telegram boy but then he chooses to quit
and join the English Protestant Newspaper. The day of the exam I’m excused from work. There’s sign in an office
window on O’Connell Street, SMART BOY WANTED, NEAT HANDWRITING, GOOD AT SUMS, APPLY HERE TO MANAGER,
MR. MCCAFREY, EASONS LTD. I stand outside the place of the exam, the house of Limerick Protestant
Young Men’s Association. I think of uncle Pa Keating and what he said, I think of the sign in Eason’s office, SMART BOY WANTED.
The man at the door says, You, are you coming in here or are you goin’ to stand there.
I shake my head and walk up the street where a smart boy is wanted 392.
According to Maslow 38, in order to survive in our life, of course the needs that we should fulfil first are the physiological needs. They are the needs for
food, liquid, shelter, sex, sleep and oxygen. Here Frank shows that he succeeds in fulfilling his physiological needs. It can be seen that Frank always struggles to find
good job so that he can earn some money for his mother. The job that makes Frank
feel happy is delivering coal for Mr. Hannon because he feels like a family man that brings home the money. His ability to find good job makes him able to fulfil
his physiological needs. Here, he is able to fulfill his needs for food, liquid and shelter.
b. Giving a Better Life to His Family
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