Friday, October 26, 2007

Angela's Ashes, week 6, part 1

Frank turns 14. When he shows up for his first day on the job, or so he thought, he realizes that his real first day isn't until the following Monday. The people at the post office laugh at him because his clothes are old and torn, so he went out with his aunt and they bought him new clothes. The first day on the job, Frank finds out that he is a temporary worker and can't stay at this job after he is 16 years old. He delivers a telegram, and gets his first pay. He is happy because he is able to tell his little brother that he can buy fish and chips and lemonade, instead of rummaging for a slice of bread. Frank decides to set aside some money from each payday so that he can go to America when he gets older. Frank stays with Ab Sheehan during the school year, with Michael. Angela moves in with them, as well as Malachy, because he is back from Dublin. Frank is very happy because most of the family has been reunited. Frank is assigned to deliver a telegram to a girl named Theresa. When he gets there, he had fallen off of his bike, so he was bloody, as well as wet because it was raining. Theresea helps him get cleaned up, and then they end up having sex. Frank sees Theresa for weeks after that, and when Theresa isnt sick, they have sex on her couch. One day Frank is delivering a telegram to Theresa's mother, and realizes that Theresa had been in the hospital and died. He is afraid that she is in Hell, and that is where he is headed, so he goes to confessions, and begs for forgiveness for both him and Theresa. Frank is assigned to deliver a telegram to an old woman, and agrees to help her write strongly worded letters to her debtors, in return for a little bit of money. When Frank is about ready to take the test to become a permanent worker at the post office delivering telegrams, he is talked out of it. He is told that he will have a wife, five kids, and will be out of his mind by the time he is 30. He doesnt want this, so he takes a job delivering newspapers. On Frank's 16th birthday, Pa Keating takes him to the pub, because Frank's father is not in the picture anymore. Frank gets extremely drunk and when he goes home he tells Angela that he knows she has been sleeping with Laman Griffin, and picks a fight with her. He slaps her, and afterwards feels bad about it. The next day, Frank goes to church and talks to Father Gregory. He tells him about everything that he has done wrong, and everything that is troubling him. He finds out that since God has forgiven him, he must forgive himself. During this same time, Malachy works for a Catholic school, but is soon fired because he acts happy, rather than demoralized. He then moves to England and gets a new job, and is anxious to join Frank in his trip to America. Frank spends three more years delivering newspapers and writing nasty letters for the old woman. The old woman eventually dies. By this time, Frank has saved up enough money to book his trip to America. The night before he leaves, the McCourt family throws him a "going away party." When Frank gets on the ship headed for America, he realizes how much he misses his family and country. This changes soon. When he gets to America, his ship is re-routed and when it lands, he ends up going to a party, and having sex with a girl named Frieda. Now Frank thinks this is the greatest country ever.

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