Angela's Ashes is narrated in the first person, and apart from the first part of chapter one, it is told in the present tense. The present tense narration serves the author's purpose well as it conveys the immediacy of the child's experience and avoids giving the impression, as a past tense might, that the story is being told by an adult reflecting on his childhood.
The language used throughout is colloquial and earthy. Slang, Irishisms, and vulgar expressions are used frequently, and these convey the way people really talked in Limerick during the author's childhood. Having a "fine fist," for example, means that a person has good handwriting. To go "beyond the beyonds" is to behave in an outrageous manner. Some words will be unfamiliar to American ears: "gob" is slang for mouth and "fags" are.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 506 words. This
study guide contains 32,076 words (approx. 107 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our Angela's Ashes Access Pass.
