Angela's Ashes

"Poverty often deprives a man of all spirit and virtue; it is hard for an empty bag to stand upright." Benjamin Franklin.

This qoute gives a perfect depiction of how Malachy feels throughout the entire novel. Malachy, being out of money and out of charity, feels as though he is useless to his family, and to make matters worse, the people around him only emphasize his failure. I believe Malachy's loss of spirit and virtue is greatly due to the fact that he is out of a job, and basically a beggar. When someone such as Malachy feels like this, it is hard for them to get out of the rut they're in, and they continue through life with their head hung low, and their spirits diminished. However, not everyone in the family is in accordance with Benjamin Franklin's statement. Malachy's wife Angela, even though she is in the same boat as him, is still able to walk with her head held high, and is able to keep her wits about her. Perhaps she doesn't feel the shame that Malachy does because she, being the woman of the house, was not expected to the bread winner during those times. Therefore, when she does things like collect charcoal from the side of the road, and take food from charity, she is unable to feel the unbearable guilt that Malachy feels.
By what Benjamin Franklin is saying here, is that once a man loses his ability to provide, he loses his ability to feel like a man. And, when he loses his ability to feel like a man, he can no longer walk with his head held high, just as the empty paper bag is unable to stand up on its own. Furthermore, since poverty is the main cause for Malachy's loss of virtue, I believe this is what drives his addiction to the drink. From his failure came the poverty. From the poverty came the shame, and out of the shame, came the drink. Unfortunately for Malachy, times are so hard, that it seems as though there isn't even a chance for him to turn things around. His children are dying because of the enviroment they live in, which is a direct affect of Malachy's failure. I also tend to think that the mounting guilt that is building up inside of Malachy is only adding to the feeling of loss and emptiness he feels everyday. However, I find it hard to blame Malachy completely for the family's problems. The depressing atmosphere of sickness and poverty is also enough to erase the spirit in a man, and inevitably kills his will to succeed. I can understand the reasons why he is unable to become motivated and regain his spirit, because it seems physically impossible to do so in the various areas they have lived. Everywhere they turn there is disease, death and hunger. How is a man supposed to overcome this all by himself?