Alcoholism: The Glass Castle and Angela's Ashes

Alcoholism has and still is a prevalent problem in society. How many people are involved in one alcoholic's life? Family, friends, co-workers, employers...All of these people are impacted by alcoholism - not just the alcoholic. While under the influence of alcohol, one may change drastically, often into a dishonest, destructive and dangerous person. An alcoholic can completely disrupt family life and lead to a life that is full of poverty. The female protagonist in the novel, The Glass Castle, tell the story of her childhood which was affected by her alcoholic father. The Glass Castle is reflective of the film titled Angela's Ashes, also recounts the childhood of a young boy and his family as they struggle to escape poverty in Ireland during the 1930s and 1940s, while is father is an alcoholic. These literary texts foreshadow the daily struggle that many people in poverty face, trying to overcome the odds for a better life and the affects that alcoholism has on family life.

Based on the author's real experiences, The Glass Castle recounts the poverty stricken upbringing of Jeanette Walls. Walls recounts her memories of moving from one dilapidated town to another with her three siblings, her "free-spirited" mother, and her intelligent yet alcoholic father. The Walls children grow up in a family that is trailed by the presence of hunger and run down homes. They learn to fend for themselves. The feed, clothe, and protect one another and eventually escape the life of their nomadic parents by running to New York City. Their soon follow them, choosing to be homeless rather than accept charity from their prospering children. Wall's story is one of survival; of the resilience of the Wall's children. They manage to pull themselves out of the depths of poverty and become successful.

The film Angela's Ashes is based on the real experiences of the main character, Frank McCourt. McCourt recounts his memories and experiences of growing up in the run down alleys of Limerick, Ireland with his siblings (most of which died or malnutrition or the consumption), his mother, and his Northern Ireland alcoholic father. The McCourt family is one that is in constant poverty since they stepped off the ship from America. The family has little money, often go hungry, and get evicted from apartment to apartment. McCourt's father eventually goes to England in search of work but never returns. The remaining McCourt family go though rough times to try and make ends meet, his mother eventually finds another man to help look after them, but he is abusive and eventually Frank leaves. He finds work as a telegram delivery boy and works until he has saved enough money to buy a ticket to America, where he becomes successful.

The fathers of the Walls and McCourt families both use alcohol as a way to escape the hardships of life. While under the influence of alcohol they experience personality changes. For instance, Rex Walls when sober captures the imagination of his children, teaching them physics, geology, Morse code, telling them stories about his days in the Air Force, and how to live life without fear. But when he drank he became "...an angry-eyed stranger who threw around furniture and threatened to beat up Mom or anyone else who got in his way" (Walls 23). Malachy McCourt is described by Frank as being the Holy Trinity with three people in him; the one in the morning who would drink tea and tell his children stories about the war, the one who tried so hard to find work but never did, and the one who came home at night with the smell of whiskey on him. These changes affect all of those around them, and tarnish how their children see them.

The change in personality then leads to a lack of interest in matters and issues which were once of serious significance. Rex Walls was always telling his children how he was going to build them the "Glass Castle"