Angela's Ashes vs. Black Boy

In literature this term we have read several different books. I want to compare to of the books I liked the most, Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt and Black Boy by Richard Wright.

Both books are about a young boy and his childhood and they are also autobiographies with authentic names. One of the similarities between the two books is the poverty theme. Both boys grow up in great poverty with little food on the table. While most of the plot in Angela's Ashes takes place in Limerick in Ireland the story by Richard Wright takes place in the southern states of America. Frankie, the main character in Angela's Ashes is struggling with his strict Irish Catholic upbringing while Richard faces the reality of racism.

Both books are written from the author's point of view. We see through the eyes of the main character. These are stories from their childhood and how they looked upon different events in life. We follow the characters through different episodes in life among them the different jobs both characters have. If you compare the two books you see that they are both written through the naive eyes of a child. There's not a lot of feelings described in the books but the stories are detailed enough. You get a good impression of how they actually lived and what they had to go through in their childhood.

Another important similarity between the books is the role of the Fathers. Frankie's father is a drunk who drinks up his entire wages week after week and leaves little to his family to live on. Richard's father leaves them when Richard is a little boy. The fathers forsake their families and they all have to live in poor conditions. The mothers in the books are strong women. They have to be tough to survive and bring up their children on tough love. Frankie and Richard learns to be independent at an early age.

Both Frankie and Richard are clever boys. They love to read and do it well in school. From an early age they both have dreams of getting away from where they live. They want to make a better life for themselves and work hard to make it happen. Frankie wants to travel to America and Richard wants to leave the south of America and go north to Chicago where it's easier for black people to get a good job. They both reach their goals.