Is the setting of the story the main cause of Frank's troubles? Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt, is a story of a young boy and his family's struggle with poverty. The major conflict in the story is that Frank wants to go to America but doesn't have the money to do so. The setting is in Limerick, Ireland and is a poverty-stricken town. In Angela's Ashes, the setting in Limerick forbids Frank to go to America because they are a limited amount of jobs available, which limits the amount of money they have, which forces Frank to stay in Ireland and support his family.
             In Limerick, Ireland where the McCourts live, the town is very poor. There are few jobs available for the men. Frank's father is constantly looking for a job. "Dad can't get any work,"(94) is a phrase Frank constantly says. There is no opportunity in Limerick like there is in America. Frank can't be whatever he wants to be because of the lack of jobs. There is nothing for him to become which is the main reason that he wants to go back to America.
             Since there is a lack of jobs in Limerick there is also a lack of money. When Frank's father is out of a job, he has to live off money from the dole. Yet it is such a small amount that he can barely support his family. "You pay the rent of six shillings, you have ten shillings left, and what use is that to four people?"(94) They lack simple necessities like food to eat and coal for a fire. It forces Frank to constantly have internal conflicts with himself because he is forced to steal food to feed his family, yet he knows it is wrong and against his religion. The lack of money forces them to live in unsanitary shacks, where the children constantly catch diseases. The diseases even kill some of the children, putting even more unneeded stress on the family and the mother.
             Since there is a lack of money, Frank is forced to stay in Limerick and help support his family instead of going to America like he wants. His father leav...