Frank's Father's Alcoholism example essay topic

Frank's father's drinking affects him in several ways. His father's absence forces him into a position of responsibility at a young age. The poverty that is a consequence of purchasing alcohol requires Frank to witness mother's desperation, which results in shame. A conflict in a child who loves his father, but is also conscious of his father's destruction with alcohol is ensued. Frank's father's alcoholism prevented him from being a reliable father and husband. Due to his drinking and irresponsibility, the role of the man of house was left open.

Frank was forced at a young age to accept responsibility, and fill this position. When Mam falls ill and is sick in bed wanting lemonade, Frank feels he has to be the one to get it for her. His father is not around to do this for his wife, and even if he were he probably wouldn't. Frank had to steal to the lemonade from Kathleen for his ill mother.

He feels this is wrong, but due to his sense of constant responsibility, he does what must be done. "It's wrong to steal from Kathleen with the way she's always good to us but if I go in and ask her for bread she will be annoyed and tell her I am ruining her morning cup of tea which she would like to have in peace ease and comfort thank you. It's easier to stick the bread under my jersey with the lemonade and promise to tell everything in confession" (236). Frank's family is in need, so he does what has to be done. He knows it is wrong to take from Kathleen, but still does because his father is not around to get his mother the lemonade. had to see his mom in pain a lot / exposed to seeing his mom desperate and begging and crying and being alone and angry... Frank had to deal with the shame of poverty at a young age, because his father squandered their money by choosing alcohol over his family.

While his father was away working in Coventry Frank's family had moved in with Aunt Aggie, because they could not afford to live anywhere else. His father says that he will send his family money. A letter arrived informing them that he got there safely, but no money was enclosed. And after a couple weeks of waiting for the telegram containing money the family becomes desperate and his mother is forced to beg. "My mother is a beggar now and if anyone from the lane or the school sees her my family will be disgraced entirely. My pals will make up new names and torment me in the school yard and I'll know what they " ll say, Frankie McCourt / beggar woman's boy / scabby-eyed / dancing/ blubber-gob / Jap" (250).

Frank's father's drinking led his mother to ultimate desperation, leaving Frank feeling ashamed. This shame affected his home life, and he is worried about the opinions of those at school and in the neighborhood. As a young boy Frank was able to recognize that alcohol makes his father a different person. He stated: 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 the prayers, and the one who does the bad thing and comes home with the smell of whiskey and wants us to die for Ireland.

I feel sad over the bad thing but I can't back away from him because the one in the morning is my real father and if I were in America I could say, I love you, Dad, the way they do in films, but you can't say that in Limerick for fear you might be laughed at. You " re allowed to say you love God and babies and horses that win but anything else is a softness in the head. (210) Frank loves his father for the separate entity that comes forth when he is sober. He tolerates the drunkenness, because he is different when he is not drinking, though nothing completely compensates for the hardships that his father bestowed on the family.

Frank does not look up to his father blindly though. Frank remarks, "I could easily have Uncle Pa for a father" (247). He acknowledges that it would be easier to have someone who is loving and laughs and does not spend all the money on drink, however he seems to accept that he has what he was. Frank understand that it's tough living with his father's alcoholism, but is able to see there are different sides of people. From his father's drinking, he learns that people sometimes do bad things without necessarily being bad people all of the time. This is a fairly mature conclusion for such a young boy to arrive at.