The Road To Self-redemption

Frank McCourt is an Irish American writer.He won the Pulitzer Biography Award in1997 for his first memoir,Angela’s Ashes,which truly reproduced the Irish social environment in 1940 s.In addition,it also records a moving account of the McCourts’ struggle to keep the dream alive in all sorts of spatial plights.Most critics regard the work as a Bildungsroman or focus on the construction of characters’ identities.There is no research on space,which is not enough for Angela’s Ashes.Based on the theme of self-redemption,the thesis interprets the McCourts in Angela’s Ashes from the perspectives of Firstspace,Secondspace and Thirdspace on the basis of Edward Soja’s epistemologies on the three spaces.The three spatial epistemologies are creative theories put forward by Soja.Firstspace epistemologies emphasize that space is presented as physical spaces,namely the place where people look for social space.Secondspace epistemologies describe Secondspace as the projection space of people’s mental perception of the objective world,namely the mental spaces.Thirdspace epistemologies define Thirdspace as an extremely open space transcending reality and imagination,namely the marginalized space problems such as race and class can be effectively solved.In Firstspace,the McCourts suffer in physical spaces such as the apartment and the underground bar with no food and no regular job,which marginalizes them from society.But they try to redeem themselves by storytelling,drinking and other spiritual struggles.In Secondspace,the McCourts are isolated and belittled by relatives,but they overcome mental space barriers by building self-esteem and pursuing love.In Thirdspace,the McCourts suffer from spacial predicaments from race,class and gender.They are also the victims of marginalization,but they redeem themselves by blending national cultures,seeking freedom and resisting gender oppression.It is hoped that the thesis conducts an in-depth analysis of the McCourts in Angela’s Ashes from the perspective of spacial criticism to enrich the scope of the study of the works.Meantime,it provides a reference for readers to read other works of Frank,which is of certain significance for the study of Angela’s Ashes.