Frank’s struggle for life and his motivations as seen in Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes : A Memoir Of A Childhood - USD Repository
FRANK’S STRUGGLE FOR LIFE AND HIS MOTIVATIONS AS SEEN IN FRANK McCOURT’S ANGELA’S ASHES: A MEMOIR OF A CHILDHOOD
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By
BENI ALSON SUSILARTO
Student Number: 014214020
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSTY
I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do.
(Edward Everett Hale) This undergraduate thesis is dedicated to My Beloved Family and Lovely Friends
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to give my biggest gratitude to Jesus Christ for all His blessing and guidance. He is always there for me when I need Him the most.
Secondly, my gratitude goes to my father for giving me support and tolerance through out these years so that I could finish my study. I also would like give thank to my brother Ardo for giving me support and motivation so I can be better with my study.
My special thank goes to aunty Joyce, aunty Vonny, aunty Trully and aunty Gabby for caring and loving me so much. I also thank them for giving me attention and financial support so I can fulfill all my needs during my study here in college.
I would like to thank my girl Intan Natalia. My deepest gratitude for her attention, patience, love, and many wonderful things that help me become a better person. I also thank her for her time to help me finish my study and my thesis.
My sincere gratitude is for my advisor, Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd., M.Hum., for all her patience and support to guide me so that I could finish my thesis. A special thank is also for my co-advisor Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum. for correcting my thesis so that I could complete this thesis. Thanks are also due to all lecturers of English Letters in Sanata Dharma for helping and teaching me many things.
Also, I would like give thank to Ian “Zidane”, Nico, Sandi, Teguh, Sinda, Aryo, Endra, Obed, Bima, Risa, Rendy, and for all my friends in Yogyakarta whom I cannot mention one by one, for their friendship and the time that we shared.
A special thanks goes to everyone that I have failed to mention for their aid and good-wishes to me and my study. Thanks.
Beni Alson
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2. Kind-hearted .......................................................................... 22
2. Hard working ........................................................................ 41
1. Smart ..................................................................................... 39
B. Frank’s Characteristics as a Key to Struggle for His Life ................ 38
5. Hard working ........................................................................ 33
4. Smart ..................................................................................... 29
3. Honest ................................................................................... 25
1. Loving ................................................................................... 19
TITLE PAGE ...................................................................................................... i APPROVAL PAGE ............................................................................................ ii ACCEPTANCE PAGE ...................................................................................... iii LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA
CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY ................................................................ 14
A. Object of the Study ........................................................................... 14 B. Approach of the Study ...................................................................... 16 C. Method of the Study .......................................................................... 17CHAPTER IV. ANALYSIS ............................................................................. 19
A. Frank’s Characteristics ...................................................................... 19C. Theoretical Framework ..................................................................... 12
2. Theories on Characterization ................................................ 10
1. Theories on Character ........................................................... 9
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................... 1
A. Background of the Study .................................................................. 1 B. Problem Formulation ....................................................................... 4 C. Objectives of the Study .................................................................... 5 D. Definition of Term ........................................................................... 5CHAPTER II. THEORETICAL REVIEW .................................................... 6
A. Review of Related Studies ................................................................ 6 B. Review of Related Theories .............................................................. 9ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS ............................................ iv STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ................................................... v MOTTO PAGE ................................................................................................... vi DEDICATION PAGE ......................................................................................... vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................ viii TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................... x ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................ xii ABSTRAK .......................................................................................................... xiii
C. Frank’s Motivations .......................................................................... 45
CHAPTER V. CONCLUSION ........................................................................ 51
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................. 55APPENDIX: Summary of the Novel ................................................................ 56
ABSTRACT
BENI ALSON SUSILARTO. 2009. Frank’s Struggle for Life and His
Motivations as Seen in Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir of A
Childhood. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata
Dharma University.This undergraduate thesis discusses Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes: A
Memoir of A Childhood . The story tells about Frank’s experiences when he was a
child. This story is based on a true story. The author, Frank McCourt, as the main character, tells his miserable yet wonderful childhood experiences in this story.
There are three objectives of this study. First is to find out the main character’s characteristics. Second is to find out the way the main character in struggling for his life which is represented through the characteristics in the story
Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir of A Childhood. Third is to find out the main
character’s motivations in struggling for his life.The writer conducted library research method in working on this study by using the novel as the primary data, books of literature and articles from internet. The theories used in this study are theory of character and theory of characterization. Since the analysis will be done based on the text itself, therefore New Criticism is the appropriate approach to be used.
From the analysis in this study, the writer finds out that the main character, Frank McCourt is a great boy. He is a kind-hearted, honest, caring, smart, and hard working person. He has the characteristics that make him grow into a great man who is able to help his family. Frank faces many problems in his life. His irresponsible father because of the drinking habit and his family economic condition are the problems that motivate him to struggle for his life in order to get a better life for him and his family.
ABSTRAK
BENI ALSON SUSILARTO. 2009. Frank’s Struggle for Life and His
Motivations as Seen in Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir of A
Childhood. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata
Dharma University.Skripsi ini mengenai novel dari Frank McCourt yang berjudul Angela’s
Ashes: A Memoir of A Childhood. Novel ini menceritakan tentang pengalaman-
pengalaman Frank saat dia masih kecil. Cerita ini berdasarkan pada kisah nyata.Pengarangnya, Frank McCourt, sebagai tokoh utama, menceritakan kembali pengalaman-pengalaman masa kecilnya yang menyuramkan sekaligus mengagumkan di dalam cerita tersebut.
Terdapat tiga tujuan dalam penelitian ini. Pertama yaitu untuk mengetahui penokohan-penokohan dari tokoh utama. Kedua yaitu untuk mengetahui cara-cara tokoh utama berjuang dalam hidupnya yang tergambar dari penokohan- penokohannya di dalam cerita Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir of A Childhood. Ketiga yaitu untuk mengetahui alasan-alasan tokoh utama untuk berjuang dalam hidupnya.
Penulis melakukan studi pustaka untuk menganalisa isi dari novel dengan menggunakan novel sebagai data utama, buku-buku tentang karya sastra serta bacaan-bacaan dari internet. Teori-teori yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah teori karakter dan teori penokohan. Berhubung studi ini akan berlandaskan dari novel itu sendiri, maka pendekatan yang sesuai untuk diterapkan adalah metode kritik baru.
Berdasarkan hasil analisa studi ini, diketahui bahwa, tokoh utama, Frank McCourt adalah seorang anak laki-laki yang hebat. Dia adalah seorang yang baik hati, jujur, perhatian, pintar, dan pekerja keras. Dia memiliki sifat-sifat yang membuatnya tumbuh menjadi pria yang hebat yang mampu membantu keluarganya. Frank menghadapi banyak masalah. Keadaan ekonomi keluarganya serta ayahnya yang tidak mempunyai tanggung jawab karena kebiasan minum minuman keras adalah masalah-masalah yang membuat Frank termotivasi untuk berjuang dalam hidupnya guna mendapatkan kehidupan yang lebih baik bagi dirinya dan bagi keluarganya.
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study Analyzing a novel is considered important when we try to understand a
piece of literary work. We need to interpret it as our own way even though many critics have discussed a lot of things in the same novel. In interpreting novel, the meaning of the text itself is really useful.
When analyzing a literary work, it would be better if we analyze the separate elements that build the literary work. This idea is strengthened by Kenney’s statement in his book How To Analyze Fiction.
To analyze a literary work is to identify the separate parts that make it up (this corresponds roughly to the notion of treating it to process), to determine the relationship among parts, and to discover the relation of parts to the whole (1996: 5).
The text is one of the parts which is become the important thing for the readers in understanding a literary work. By understanding the text itself, the readers will find out all the necessary information in a literary work which can be useful in analyzing it.
Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir of A Childhood is a work of art which can be analyzed based on the text itself. It tells about the childhood of a boy named Frank and how he is motivated to change his family’s life to be a better life. In the text itself, there are so many important information which leads to the real meaning of the story.
Frank McCourt has produced several novels. For example, Angela’s
Ashes: A Memoir of A Childhood, ‘Tis, and Teacher Man. All of those novels are
talking about his experiences of life. Those novels reveal Frank’s memoirs of life, from memoir of childhood, memoir of the relationship with his family and memoir of his job as a teacher. Frank McCourt’s memoir of life is up and down. Since the author’s memoir of life is the strongest element of Frank McCourt’s works, the writer is interested to analyze one of Frank McCourt’s works, Angela’s
Ashes: A Memoir of A Childhood . This novel was published in 1996 and won
Pulitzer Prize.In this study, the writer tries to analyze about the characteristics of Frank and how he manages to survive and struggle for his life. The chosen topic is interesting because in doing the analysis, the writer gets two benefits at the same time; when the writer reads the novel in order to understand the story, at the same time, the writer gets the information about the real meaning of the text itself. There are several criticism of Frank McCourt’s works found in the internet gives comments about his works, they say,
The Irish and family tradition of story-telling was an important element in McCourt's life. Telling stories was a way of remaining human under inhuman conditions. Reading--the route to an inner life of stories--was equally important. He discovered Shakespeare at age ten while confined to hospital, after almost dying of typhoid. ". . . it's like having jewels in my mouth when I say the words. If I had a whole book of Shakespeare they could keep me in the hospital for a year." This is a wonderful memoir--a study in resiliency, a cultural primer, a testament to the human spirit (Felice Aull for New York University Literature Database – www.blogcritics.org/archieves/2003/05/30/174717.php accessed on February 24th 2009). From this criticism, we can see Aull’s opinion that Frank is a smart boy and he has the willing to study about everything by reading book in any kind of circumstances and conditions. Franks keeps move on in his life by keeping his spirit in studying things and reading books although he is not healthy.
The other criticism says, McCourt is a terrific storyteller and the language of the book is wonderful. There are passages you'll want to read aloud and, indeed, I listened to the audio version which he reads and it is absolutely enchanting. He describes a life of grinding, often degrading, poverty with remarkably little bitterness. In fact, the tone of the book is one of fond remembrance, even in the face of illness, hunger, homelessness and domestic strife. It is a remarkable antidote to the continual bitching and moaning of our Oprahfied society. After reading about McCourt's childhood, you'll think twice before complaining about how hard your own life is (Orin Judd for BrotherJudd.com - www.blogcritics.org/archieves/2003/05/30/174717.php accessed on February 24th 2009).
In this criticism, we can see that Orin Judd tries to state that by reading Angela’s
Ashes: A Memoir of A Childhood, the readers will find out the meaning of the text
which tells about the suffering condition that Frank must face in his life and the readers will realize how great our childhood are and that we should be thankful of what we have got.
From those criticisms above, the writer finds out that Angela’s Ashes: A
Memoir of A Childhood is worth studying because it reveals the human spirit of a
young boy who keeps moving on and struggling for his life by doing everything he can. Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir of A Childhood appears as a winner of Pulitzer Prize because its story which tells about the miserable childhood of the Frank McCourt and how it reveals the bravery of a boy who struggle for a better life for surrounded in poverty. Frank must struggle for his life for having an alcoholic father and the economic condition of his family that is poor and miserable. His mother, Angela must beg for food from the ministry. Those conditions are some of the reasons that encourage Frank to do everything he can in order to survive and struggle for his life to get a better life. Frank has to deal with many problems in his life. As three years old boy, he tries to work as a newspaper seller to earn some money for his family. Sadly, there a problem comes. He suffers from typhoid and he must stay in the hospital for three months and he has to loose his job. He, then, must start to find another job and must be stronger so that he can help his family.
In this story, Frank faces many problems. First, his father’s drinking habit that becomes worse after his family moves to Ireland. Second, the economic condition of his family that is so poor and miserable. Third, the society’s treatment toward his family is so rude. Frank must struggle for his life because of those conflicts that come in his life continuously.
The novel is interesting to discuss because it shows how a person must struggle for his life in order to achieve a better life. It also gives a lesson in surviving in life no matter what kinds of problems and conflicts that come.
B. Problem Formulation
Based on the background of study, there are three problems that can be formulated as follows.
2. How do the characteristics show Frank’s struggle for his life?
3. What are Frank’s motivations for struggle for his life?
C. Objectives of the Study
The aim of this study is surely to answer those problems precisely. First, the writer will list the characteristics of the major character in the novel. This will help the writer understand the characteristic of the major character, Frank, in the novel.
After the writer finds out the characterization of the major character, the writer will analyze the characterization relates to the way of the main character struggles for his life. The writer will also finds out the main character’s motivations to keep struggle for his life.
D. Definition of Terms
In order to avoid misunderstanding in this thesis, there should be an explanation about the meaning of character. According to Abrams in Glossary of
Literary Terms, character means the person presented a dramatic or narrative
work who is interpreted by the readers by being endowed with moral and dispositional quality that are expressed in what they say, the dialogue and by what they do the action (1981: 20).
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW A. Review of Related Studies In this chapter, the writer tries to explain about some studies which are
done to analyze Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir of A Childhood and criticisms from internet. These will prove that Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes:
A Memoir of A Childhood is worth reading and interesting to discuss. The writer
also explains about some theories which are needed to characterize the character in Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir of A Childhood and Frank McCourt’s biography to help the writer analyze Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir of A Childhood which represents Frank McCourt’s life.
Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir of A Childhood is McCourt’s first novel. This novel tells about his own life experience when he lived in Ireland with his family.
It shows the courage and struggle of a young boy who really wants to achieve a better life for him and his family. Frank McCourt was the winner of the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Biography, the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) Award in Biography/Autobiography, The Boston Book Reviews Non-Fiction Prize, the ABBY Award, and the Los Angeles Times Book Award. Time Magazine and Newsweek also chose Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir of A Childhood as the best nonfiction book of 1996 (www.bookbrowse/com/frank mccourt/index.cfm).
Thomas Cahill in his criticism on Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir of A deserves whatever glittering prizes are lying around that the story in the novel is so great that it is worthy the Pulitzer Prize”. Cahill also admires Frank McCourt and states that McCourt is a great writer and deserves all the awards he got (Cahill, http://www.free-essays-free-essays.com/dbase/3b/ems104.shtml).
Other critics, Mary Gordon in the book review of Frank McCourt’s
Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir of A Childhood says “I was moved and dazzled by the
somber and lively beauty of this book; it is a story of survival and growth beyond all odds; a chronicle of surprising triumphs, written in language that is always itself triumphant” (McCourt, 1997: i).
The way that McCourt uses language and actions to delve into his character’s age and maturity level, as discussed earlier is also a topic that is hovered over by many critics. What is it that transforms a childhood blighted by poverty, death and disease into a story that shines with love and leaps off the page in language of rare energy, music and humor? (Kathryn Harrison, http://www.free-essays-free- essays.com/dbase/3b/ems104.shtml).
In other words, McCourt’s language in telling the story in his novel is so great and the story itself makes the critics interested in how McCourt is capable of telling his experience of life in his wonderful novel.
Felice Aull, an annotator from New York University School of Medicine says that one important factor in McCourt’s memoir is the love which he shows and give for his family. Though his father is an alcoholic that always make his mother suffer and never able to give them a proper and decent life, still Frank never hates him. On the other hand, McCourt Senior never abuses his children and that is also one of the reasons that makes Frank never wants to hate his father. “I morning with the paper, the one at night with stories and prayers, and then the one who does bad things and comes home with the smell of whiskey…….”. His love for his mother and brothers even hilarious that he is willing to sacrifice his childhood times to help his mother and work hard in order to gain some shillings for his mother so that they can buy some food to eat and clothes to wear on (Aull, www.blogcritics.org/archieves/2003/05/30/174717.php). In other words, this novel is worth reading because it shows how Frank survives in his life for his family and how his family gives loves to each others in any kind of circumstances.
Aull also states, “The memoir of Frank McCourt is a wonderful memoir that is valuable to read because we can learn not only about the Irish culture that covers almost all elements inside the story but also the human spirit that McCourt shows to us in order to struggle and survive in desperate condition” (Aull, www.blogcritics.org/archieves/2003/05/30/174717.php).
The writer agrees with all those criticisms, and they will be used to help the writer in conducting this analysis. The writer is going to rely on the comments of McCourt’s work in order to find the idea of struggle and survival in a childhood. The critics above agree that McCourt’s work, Angela’s Ashes: A
Memoir of A Childhood , gives the idea of how a young boy struggle and survive
in his miserable childhood. Based on the criticism, the writer will try to conduct this research since the writer agrees with them. The writer will reveal the struggle of young McCourt in his life.
In this research, the writer focuses on the characteristics of the main character, Frank McCourt, who struggles for his life in his family condition that is full of misery and poverty and he is finally able to achieve a better life. That is the reason why this research is different from the other researches.
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theories on Character
Abrams in his A Glossary of Literary Terms defined character as the person presented in a dramatic or narrative work. In addition, the readers interpret characters as being endowed with a moral and dispositional quality that are expressed in what they say – the dialogue- and by what they do – the action.
Based on the importance, the characters are mainly divided into two. Those are main or major characters and minor characters. Major characters are usually the center of the story. They are the most important characters in the story. Usually the acts of the story are focused on these characters from the beginning to the ending parts. The core of the story is highlighted through these characters’ experience. Minor characters appear in a certain setting, just necessarily to become the background for the major characters. Their roles in a story are just to support the development of a major character (1981: 20).
In Aspects of the Novel , E.M. Forster (1974: 46-54) divides characters into flat and round characters. Flat character is built around a single idea or quality and is represented in outline and without much individual detail. A flat character can to fulfill minor roles in a work of fiction. The flat character is usually the same sort of people at the end of the story as in the beginning of the story. A round character is obviously more lifelike than the simple one because in real life people are not simply embodiments of single attitude. The round character is complex in temperament and motivation and is represented with subtle peculiarity. Usually round characters are major figures in the story. Round characters possess many individual and unpredictable human traits. They may be considered dynamic in which they demonstrate their capacities to change or to grow. The mark is that he is capable of surprising the readers.
2. Theories on Characterization
In The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Te rms, characterization is the representation of person in narrative and dramatic works. This may include direct methods like the attribution of qualities in description or commentary, and indirect (or dramatic) methods inviting readers to infer qualities from characters’ action, speech or appearance (Baldick, 1991: 34).
Henkle in his book Reading the Novel states about characterization is central to the fictional experience. In addition, this principle objective of the creation of characters in novels is to enable us to understand and to experience the people (1977: 86). According to A Handbook of Literary Terms, characterization is an aspect of creative writing, which is referred to in other articles (such as drama, plot, short story), but it is so fundamental that it is here given special minor characters. Many writers present their main characters with details in the round, while the minor figures appear flat and somewhat lifeless (Yelland, 1953: 30-31).
There are some ways to determine the personalities of the characters. According to M.J. Murphy in Understanding Unseen (1972), there are nine ways in which the author attempts to make his characters understandable and come alive for the readers.
a. Personal Description The author can describe a character’s physical appearance like the face, body, and clothes of the characters have the specific appearance, so the reader can imagine it.
b. Character as seen by another The author can also describe a character through the eyes and opinion of others.
c. Speech The author can give us some clue to a person’s in the book through what the person says. Whenever he is in conversation with another and whenever he gives his opinion, he is giving us some clue to his personality.
d. Past Life The author can also give the reader a clue to events that have helped to shape a person’s character through his past life. It can be done by direct comment produced by the author, through the person’s thought, through his conversation or through medium of another person.
e. Conversation of Others The author can give the readers some clue through a person’s character through the conversation to other people and the things they say about him.
f. Reactions The author can also give the readers a clue to a person’s character by letting them know how the person reacts to various situations and events.
g. Direct Comment The author can also describe or comment on a person’s personality.
h. Thoughts The author can give the readers direct knowledge or what a person’s thinking about. What in the person’s mind and what he feels reflect on his character. i. Mannerism
The author can describe a person’s way of behaving that a particular person has which may also tell us something about his character.
C. Theoretical Framework
In analyzing the study, the writer provides some theories in order to find the answer of the problems. Theories of character and theories of characterization will be able to find out Frank’s characterizations and the way he struggles for his life.
The writer uses the New Criticism in order to analyze the text of the novel and to reveal the motivations of the main character to keep struggle for his life and able to get a better life for him and his family.
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY A. Object of the Study In this chapter, the writer explains about the object of the study, the story
itself, Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir of A Childhood and the approach of the study, New Criticism. The writer also explains about the necessity of New Criticism in analyzing the story Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir of A Childhood. The last part, the writer explains some steps which the writer uses to analyze the story Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir of A Childhood.
The object of the study in this study is Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir of A
Childhood . The novel is written by Frank McCourt and it was published by
HarperCollinsPublisher London in 1996. The novel used in the study was published in 1997 by Flamingo, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublisher. Frank McCourt wrote three novels. Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir of A Childhood is the first novel which talks about his own experience of life. McCourt wrote the novel in 19 chapters and there are 426 pages. The novel Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir of A Childhood by Frank McCourt starts with the narration of Frank, the main character, about the reason why his family has to return to Limerick, Ireland. Frank is born in Brooklyn, New York in a great depression era from Irish immigrant parents. His father is Malachy McCourt and his mother is Angela McCourt. With three younger brothers,
Margaret, Frank realizes that his family belongs to a poor family. The family lives in a poor condition, because Frank’s father never has steady jobs and he always spends his money in pubs, drinking, but on the other hand he is a loving father for his children. Angela, Frank’s mother, is a housewife and she is so stressed as she has to raise four children but she has no enough money and decent food to give to them. The children also never have proper clothes and diapers to wear.
Then they return to Limerick, Ireland where Angela’s mother lends them some money to rent a room and to buy daily needs such as food, coal and clothes because they cannot afford to buy it. In Limerick, Malachy McCourt is unable to find steady jobs because of his Northern Ireland accent and his serious drinking problem. All he can do is to go to the Labour Exchange to sign for the dole every Friday where the dole money usually ends for the Irish pints. Their life becomes more miserable that makes Angela takes Frank and Malachy Jr. to St. Vincent de Paul Society and the Dispensary to take the charity tickets to buy food, coal and clothes.
When Frank’s family lives in a poor and miserable condition, Malachy McCourt tries to go overseas to England to find a job. When he receives money, he will send it to his family. Week after week, Frank and his family never receive money from his father. That is one of the reasons that makes young Frank struggle for his life. He needs to grow up very quickly to find a good job and keep on surviving so that he can help his mother and brothers from starvation and poverty and be able to fulfill the daily needs.
B. Approach of the Study
In analyzing the story Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir of A Childhood, the writer will deal with New Criticism. By using this approach, the writer will focus only from the text itself in order to gain some necessary information that will help to analyze the story. In Bressler’s Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory
and Practice , it is said,
Known as New Criticism, this approach to literary analysis provides the reader with a formula for arriving at the correct interpretation of a text using only the text itself (1998: 37). From the quotation above, it is said that in order to interpret a work of art, a reader must using the text only because the text itself contains all the necessary information to discover the meaning of a work of art.
Once again, Bressler states in his book that New Criticism in apparently distinguishing between the personality and the mind of the poet, Eliot asserts that the created entity, the poem, is about the experiences of the author that are similar to all of our experiences. By structuring these experiences, the poem allows us to examine them objectively (1998: 43).
New Critics search for meaning within the text’s structure by finding the tensions and conflicts that must eventually be resolved into a harmonious whole and inevitably lead to the creation (1998: 44). From the quotation above, New Criticism has the methodology to analyze a work of art based on the text’s structure. From the text itself, the researchers will get the information which enables them to discover the real meaning of a work of art. In A Glossary of Literary Terms , Abrams states that in analyzing and author, to the social conditions at the time of its production, or to its psychological and moral effects on the reader; they also tend to minimize recourse to the place of the work in the history of literary forms and subject matter. Because of this critical focus on the literary work in isolation from its attendant circumstances and effects, the New Criticism is often classified as a type of critical formalism (1981: 247).
The New Criticism based on the text itself in revealing the real meaning of a work of art. In this research, the writer tries to analyze the text of the novel in order to find out the characterizations of the main character, the way he struggles for his life and also the motivations to keep struggle in life. The New Criticism is the appropriate approach to be used in this research.
C. Method of the Study
In conducting this research, the writer used a library research method. It means that the data were collected from many books and from the internet as well, which have some valuable information. The writer divided the sources as the primary and the secondary sources. The most important source in this study was certainly the novel Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir of A Childhood and the secondary sources used the autobiography of Frank McCourt, articles related to the work and criticisms of the work.
Having realized that this novel is interesting, the writer dug it further. The writer found several problems that have been formulated in problem formulation. step was analyzing a literary work by reading it several times, so that it can be comprehended well. By understanding the story, the writer came to the interpretation and then found the main character that believed as the representation of the author.
The second was finding the main character based on the theories of character and characterization. It is important to know the main character’s characteristics; therefore the writer discussed them one by one. The next step that the writer did was revealing the characterization of the main character.
The third step was entering the main character’s mind to find the relation between the characteristics and how he manages to struggle for his life. Next, the writer was analyzing the main character’s motivations in struggling in his life. After that, the writer finally made a conclusion. The conclusion contains the statements of the writer’s findings in the analysis that was presented in the thesis.
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS In this analysis, the writer will answer the three problem formulations
which have been presented in the previous chapter. Firstly, the writer will explore the characteristics of the main character, Frank McCourt and list all the main character’s characteristics. Meanwhile, the second problem is answered by entering the main character, Frank’s mind to find the relation between his characteristics and how he manages to struggle for his life. Finally, the writer will find and explain about the motivations of the main character to struggle for life.
A. Frank’s Characteristics
1. Loving
As the first son in the family, Frank realizes that he needs to take good care of his family. Having a drunkard father, makes Frank loves and cares his family so much because he knows that his father does not bring money for them to fulfill the daily needs.
Frank’s father, Malachy McCourt, has already been a drunkard since he arrived in New York. He is never able to stop his bad habit although he is already been married with Angela Sheehan. He often spends all his wages to drink in the pub and leaves his family starving at home. Frank’s father always loses his job at the third week he starts to work. It happens because he always spends the money
When Dad’s job goes into the third week he does not bring home the wages. On Friday night we wait for him and Mom gives us bread and tea (p. 17). Frank’s father does not bring the wages and it makes Frank’s mother feel so angry and Frank feels very sorry for his mother and all the troubles caused by his father.
I crawl into bed with Malachy and the twins. I look out at Mam at the kitchen table, smoking a cigarette, drinking tea, and crying. I want to get up and tell her I’ll be a man soon and I’ll get a job in the place with the big gate and I’ll come home every Friday night with money for eggs and toast and jam and she can sing again Anyone can see why I wanted your kiss (p.22) Frank’s reaction to such condition shows that he cares about his mother and he wishes that he could do something to help his mother and ease her pain.
She wishes that he would grow up soon and replace his father’s place to earn money for his mother and his brothers so that he would not see his mother crying.
Frank shows most of his love to his twin brothers, Oliver and Eugene. Both Frank and Malachy have to take care of the twins when their mother feels exhausted and need some rest. Frank loves the twins so much and he can do everything for them. He is even willing to steal a bunch of bananas from the Italian grocery shop for the twins who feel hungry at that time.
My mother tells me all the time, Never, never leave that playground except to come home. But what am I to do with the twins bawling with the hunger in the pram? I tell Malachy I’ll be back in a minute. I make sure no one is looking, grab a bunch of bananas outside the Italian grocery shop and run down Myrtle Avenue, away from the playground, around the block and back to the other end and where there’s a hole in the fence. We push the pram to a dark corner and peel the bananas for the twins (p.26).
It can be seen that his love for his twin brothers makes him willing to steal a bunch of bananas for them. He wants to make both Oliver and Eugene stop crying by feeding them though the way he gets the food is absolutely wrong.
When Margaret, Frank’s sister, died, Angela is so sad and cries all the time and she just stay in the room. She does not want to talk and eat and it makes her look so thin. This condition makes Frank feels so sad and wants to help her. I dip a towel in cold water and pat her forehead. She presses my hand against her cheeks. Oh, Jesus, Frankie. Oh, Jesus (p.33).
From Frank’s reaction, it can be seen that he really cares about his mother. He does not want to see his mother sad and crying.
Another proof about Frank’s love toward his mother is when his mother wants him to join the dance class which costs sixpence every Saturday and he refuses it.
I try to tell her, Ah, Mam, sure you don’t have to send me to dancing school when you could be smoking a nice Woodbine and having a cup of tea (p.156-157). It can be seen that Frank does not want his mother spend the money for him because she can use the money for other things which useful rather than using it to pay the dance class.
When the economic condition of Frank’s family is getting worse, they have to move to Laman Grifin, Angela’s cousin’s house. There, Laman disrespects Angela by treating him badly and it makes Frank very angry.
He throws money at me to go to the shop for a few sods of turf and wood for kindling. I don’t want to go. I want to hit him for the way he treats my mother (p.324). It is clearly that Frank never wants to see other people treat his mother not hurt him or his mother again. His care towards his mother makes him willing to do anything for her.
The love and care which he has for his family is really enable him to be a good man who supports his family. The experience of loving and caring his family is one of the reasons for him to keep struggle for a better life for his family. He knows that his family needs him and he is able to be a man who can support them. Although Frank and his family live in a poor condition, but the love and care that they have each other enable Frank to keep move on and do the best for his family.
2. Kind - hearted
In the novel, Frank McCourt is often described as a person who has an odd manner. Though his mother and his family often tell other people that he has the odd manner, Frank is also known as a kind-hearted person. He is willing to give a hand and helps the others who need help though sometimes he knows that he cannot help them completely.
On a cold winter day in Limerick, the school gives each student a bottle of frozen milk and a raisin bun. Unfortunately, not all the buns have the raisin inside it. Frank is very fortunate because there is a raisin inside his bun. Then, he chooses to give it to Paddy Clohessy who later becomes his best friend.
I wanted the raisin for myself but I saw Paddy Clohessy standing in the corner with no shoes and the room was freezing and he was shivering like a dog that had been kick and I always feel sad over kicked dog so I walked over and gave Paddy the raisin because I didn’t know what else to do and me a look and said nothing and Nellie Ahearn said, “You’re a great oul’ Yankee, Frankie” (p.133-134).
This shows that Frank has a sincere heart to help Paddy because he feels sorry to see Paddy’s condition with no shoes and he is shivering. He thinks that it is the only thing that he can do to help Paddy. Though he does not know what triggers him to do that action.
Once, Frank gets a job to read books for Mr. Timoney when he delivers newspaper namely “Limerick Leader” for Mr. Timoney. At that time he works as a newspaperman to help his poor uncle Ab. He likes Mr. Timoney because he is a kind man and he always enjoys his day reading. Every Saturday he reads for Mr.
Timoney where he can earn sixpence for his mother to buy some food for the family. Unfortunately, one fine Saturday morning, Mr. Timoney is taken to the City Home because he becomes crazy and never stops laughing at the nune that is bitten by his dog, Machlusa.
That’s the end of my Saturday sixpence but I’ll read to Mr. Timoney money or no money. I wait down the street till the woman next door goes in; I climb in Mr. Timoney’s window for Gulliver’s Travels and walk miles to the City Home so that he won’t miss his reading. The man at the gate says, “What? You want to come in an’ read to an oul’ man? Is it coddin’ me you are? Get outa here before I call the guards” (p.201).
From his mannerism, it can be seen that Frank is very kind to Mr. Timoney. Though he knows that he will never read for Mr. Timoney again, he is willing to get the book and walks miles away to the City Home to give the book for Mr.
Timoney. His kindness somehow makes the man at the gate feel shocked.
Since the family need money to live, Frank then works for Mr. Hannon as a coal deliveryman. Unfortunately, the problem of his infectional eyes grows worse everyday because of the coal dust and if he continues to work it will ruin his eyes. Because of that reason, Angela tells him to stop working for Mr.
Hannon. It makes him feel so sad because no one will help Mr. Hannon and no one will bring home the money that the family needs to buy some food, coal and clothes.
And I can’t stop crying now because this was my one chance to be a man and bring home the money the telegram boy never brought from my father. I can’t stop crying because I don’t know what Mr. Hannon is going to do on Monday morning when he has no one to help him pull the bags to the edge of the float, to push the bags into the houses (p.307). From his thought, it can be seen that Frank is really worried about others especially his own family. He is worried about Mr. Hannon who does not have someone to help him and moreover, Frank is worried because he cannot bring money for his mother to fulfill the daily needs for the family.