CHARACTERS

Angela McCourt - Angela McCourt loves her family. At first optimistic her husband will provide, she slowly loses hope and resigns herself to a life of hardship. Living in a society that believes a woman's place is at home with the children—many of them, often, due to Catholic prohibitions on birth control—she remains dependent on her irresponsible, alcoholic husband. Sinking further into poverty because of him, she is forced to humiliate herself; she begs for food when her husband is too proud to do so and has sex with a cousin who offers shelter when she and her children are evicted (forced out). Not one to shy away from (= avoid) sacrifice, she nearly breaks when three of her children die, yet each time she trudges on (heavily walks on). Her devotion is rewarded by her children's devotion to her.

Malachy McCourt Sr. - Handsome, charming Malachy McCourt Sr. is an accomplished storyteller, intelligent, and relatively well educated. He is a Catholic and devoted Irish nationalist with a strong sense of pride and dignity. However, his sense of self-respect and all his positive traits become hollow when his failure to provide for his family forces his wife and sons into poverty and humiliation. Although he may mean well at times, he never finds the strength to overcome his addiction to alcohol and follow through with his promises. In the end, he disappears, leaving his family to fend (take care/provide) alone.