life. To analyse the characteristics of Frank McCourt, the theory of
characterization by Murphy 161-73, which consists of the personal description, character seen by other, speech, past life, the figure’s reactions, direct comment,
thought and mannerism are applied. However, only several are used to analyse and describe the characteristics of Frank McCourt. He is characterized as odd person,
kind- hearted, honest, caring, hard working and smart.
1. Odd
In the novel, Frank McCourt is often described as a person who has an odd manner. His family from his mother side are those people who often say that he has
the odd manner. They say that he has the odd manner because his father comes from Northern Ireland and he lives in the republic of Ireland where the majority of
the people hate the Northern Ireland man. Frank’s mother Angela says to her neighbour in New York, Mrs. Leibowitz
that Frank has the odd manner when she compares him to his brother Malachy. My mother tells Mrs. Leibowitz down the hall that Malachy is the happiest
child in the world. She tells Mrs. Leibowitz down the hall; Frankie has the odd manner like his father 14.
Through the conversation between Angela and Mrs. Leibowitz, it can be seen that his own mother says that he has the odd manner like his father when her
mother compares him to his brother Malachy Jr. His mother’s word makes him feel different from his brother and he wonders what the odd manner means.
Not only his mother who says that he has the odd manner, his aunt Aggie even says that he has the same odd manner as his father who comes from
Northern Ireland. I’m about to give the money to the woman in the shop when my hand is
slapped down and there’s Aunt Aggie, ragging. “Is this what you do, she says, on the day of your brother’s funeral?” “Gorgin’ yourself on sweets”.
“And where’s that fathers of your?” “He’s, he’s, in the pub”.
“Of course he’s in the pub”. “You out here stuffin’ yourself with sweets and him there gettin’ himself into staggerin’ condition the day your poor little
brother goes to the graveyard”. She tells the shop woman, Just like his father, the same odd manner, the same oul’ northern jaw 91-92.
It can be seen that Aunt Aggie also considers Frank to have the same odd
manner like his father. She hates Frank’s father because he comes from Northern Ireland.
Furthermore, his grandma torments him with her words on his First Communion Day. His grandma says that his hair is North of Ireland’s hair that he
gets from his father. “Come here till I comb your hair”, said grandma. “Look at that mop, it won’t
lie down. “You didn’t get that hair from my side of the family”. “That’s that North of Ireland hair you get from your father”. “That’s the kind
of hair you see on Presbyterians”. “If your mother had married a proper decent Limerick man you wouldn’t have this standing up, North of Ireland
Presbyterian hair” 142.
Again, Angela tells other people that her son Frank has the odd manner like her husband. It happens when she meets her old dance mate, Mr. Dennis Clohessy,
the father of Frank’s best friend. She comes to the Clohessy’s house to pick Frank because he stays overnight there.
“...and thanks, Mrs. Clohessy, for having Frank here off the streets”. ‘Twas no trouble”, Mrs. McCourt. He’s quiet enough.
“Quiet enough”, says Mr. Clohessy, but he’s not the dancer his mother was. Mam says, ‘Tis hard to dance with one shoe, Dennis.
I know Angela, but you’d wonder he didn’t take it off. “Is he a bit strange?”
Ah, sometimes he has the odd manner like his father. Oh, yes. The father is from the North, Angela that would account for it.
They’d think nothing of dancing with one shoe in the North 190.
It clearly described in the novel that Frank has the same odd manner like his father that comes from the North just because he dances with one shoe. And it can
be seen that Mr. Clohessy also has the same opinion like his mother toward men from Northern Ireland.
Aunt Aggie never stops tormenting him with her words because she never likes Frank’s father who is a Northern man when Frank has to stay with her
because his mother is in the hospital suffering from pneumonia. Aunt Aggie torments me all the time. She calls me scabby eyes. She says that
I’m the spitting image of my father. I have the odd manner, I have the sneaky air of a Northern Presbyterian, I’ll probably grow up and build an altar to
Oliver Cromwell himself, I’ll run off and marry an English tart and cover my house with pictures of the royal family 284.
Again aunt Aggie describes that Frank has the same characteristics as his father that will not change.
Based on his personal description, conversation of others and opinions of other characters, it can be concluded that Frank has an odd manner like his father.
2. Kind-hearted
