Theme Analaysis

Theme Analysis (half way through)

There exists such an intense form of poverty that we're forced to forget all sense of morality and human decency.

-The kind of poverty that the McCourt family faces is beyond intense. The children starve on a daily basis and experience malnutrition (as they drink tea scraps of food). This is all because of the father's inability to get a hold of his alcohol addiction. If he could, he could go to work bring his money straight home- without making a pit stop at the bar.
-Even with the help they've had from kind grocers (like the Italian one) and others, and their friends, neighbours, and relatives, in the end they have to be able to support themselves.
-As the family struggles, the theme develops and changes. But so far, the dominant theme is the extremes people must endure when their pockets are empty. This is being conveyed through the book.