the catholic church in the tin flute and angela's ashes

Ubiquitous throughout ‘The Tin Flute’ and ‘Angela’s Ashes’ the Catholic Church stands as the cornerstone of morality and the social order alike. There is no doubt that the church is a central figure for both the individual and society in general and in some aspects it plays more of a governing role than a religious one. In ‘Angela’s Ashes’ the church has a more direct effect on Frank McCourt’s life. From his education to his health to his sense of self-worth, Frank cannot escape the church. In ‘The Tin Flute’ the church has more of a subtle demeanour, but is still ever present. It may be spoken of less and appear less rash on the surface, but nonetheless it has instilled a set of unspoken principles within its people. In both ‘The Tin Flute’ and ‘Angela’s Ashes’ the Catholic Church has both a positive and negative effect on Frank McCourt, Florentine Lacasse and the societies they live in, and remains a paradox in that it provides its people with charity and morality yet controls them through fear and humiliation.

Florentine Lacasse thinks quite highly of the church. She says she feels happy while in mass and seems to recapture an essence of her childhood when she attends. Her mother is also fairly religious, and though she does

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After making love to Theresa he believed that he was responsible for her eternal damnation and found himself absorbed in guilt and shame. ” Most devout to the church is Florentine’s younger sister Yvonne.

Although in ‘Angela’s Ashes’ Frank doesn’t share the same enthusiasm towards the Catholic church it nonetheless has a positive impact on his life. ” Then once again Frankie gets another door shut in his face; this time Frankie gets recommended to the school of higher learning but he gets rejected once again because of his social status. She describes her inner pain as a “muted lament” and wanders the streets of St. Like Florentine he found refuge within the walls of the church, often talking to St. From the clergymen, not giving the families of Limerick the vital things in life such as food and clothing to not allowing Frankie to live a better life, the Church hurt its members and kept them living in an endless cycle of poverty. During a period of introspection and inner turmoil she wanders into a church and begins talking to the Lord, after which she says she feels “relieved. This is only one of the many social stigmatizations the church is responsible for and it is a shame that the Church doesn’t practice the understanding that it preaches. Frank’s family was given shoes, furniture and a weekly allowance for food and coal. Though the Catholic Church did regulate the conduct of its members it left more of the impression of a tyranny than the loving sanctuary it makes itself out to be. It is a paradox given that it does assist its people with their day-to-day problems, but is for the most part the very root of these hardships. Henry with a set of concrete rules and principles and enforces them not with violence or punishment, but with a notion that there will be divine repercussions to those who are insubordinate. Whether or not Frank realizes it the church is an integral and instrumental factor in his life.

Approximate Word count = 1564
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

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