Relationships In Angela's Ashes

In Angela's Ashes, women essential act as the “man of the house”. Their interactions with the other people in the book depicts them as harsh but only for the benefit of their family or loved ones. These interactions can be seen in many parts of the book such as the time when Frank's grandma disciplined him for eating Bill Gavin's lunch, or when Angela goes to Malachy’s work and tries to ask the boss if he could give her the money, or when Aunt Aggie buys Frank clothes for his new job.

Bill Gavin stuck out to Frank mainly because Bill was a Protestant. Therefore, Frank could not for the life of himself understand at all as to why his grandma reacted the way she did when Frank told her he had eaten all of his lunch, since he was just a “unholy” protestant. When Frank told his grandma about how he had eaten his lunch she responded with “Jesus, Mary, and holt St. Joseph. She gives me a clout on the head that brings tears to my eyes. She screams at me like a banshee and jumps around the kitchen and threatens to drag me to the priest, the bishop, even the Pope himself if he lived

Aunt Aggie sees him working and decides to take him to buy new clothes and shoes for his job. She “ takes me to Roche’s Store and buys me a shirt, a gansey, a pair of shorts, two pairs of stockings and a pair of summer shoes on sale” (McCourt, 310). Although Aunt Aggie can be harsh at times, she really does care about Frank. She is proud that he is actually working and bringing home wages, unlike his father, and rewards him as an incentive for doing good. She wants him to succeed and have a better life than before. I think this shows how woman in Angela's Ashes would do anything for their loved ones because Aunt Aggie wasn't exactly rich herself so the fact that she brought all these clothes for Frank so he could keep working and not get fired for how he looks, is very sweet and pure. She sacrificed a lot for the sake of