the catholic church in the tin flute and angela's ashes
Ubiquitous throughout 'The Tin Flute' and 'Angela's Ashes' the Catholic Church stands as the cornerstone of morality and the social order alike. There is no doubt that the church is a central figure for both the individual and society in general and in some aspects it plays more of a governing role than a religious one. In 'Angela's Ashes' the church has a more direct effect on Frank McCourt's life. From his education to his health to his sense of self-worth, Frank cannot escape the church. In 'The Tin Flute' the church has more of a subtle demeanour, but is still ever present. It may be spoken of less and appear less rash on the surface, but nonetheless it has instilled a set of unspoken principles within its people. In both 'The Tin Flute' and 'Angela's Ashes' the Catholic Church has both a positive and negative effect on Frank McCourt, Florentine Lacasse and the societies they live in, and remains a paradox in that it provides its people with charity and morality yet controls them through fear and humiliation. Florentine Lacasse thinks quite highly of the church. She says she feels happy while in mass and seems to recapture an essence of her childhood when she attends. Her mother is also fairly religious, and though she does
Its evident that the ever-present Catholic Church has both positive and negative effects on its followers in both novels, it is up to the reader to decide which is the greater of the two. Though the Church manifests itself more boldly in 'Angela's Ashes' than in 'The Tin Flute' it is nonetheless a significant aspect of the characters' lives. It is a paradox given that it does assist its people with their day-to-day problems, but is for the most part the very root of these hardships. One thing is for certain however. The Church has a unique ability to provide comfort for its people in taking control of their lives and giving a sense of blind hope in return. Although it is not directly stated in 'The Tin Flute' the negative effects of the church are apparent. For one the nature of the Catholic Church usually limits a person. The confusion that comes with drawing a line between "good and evil" often leads to a life of timidity. More specifically, although unstated in 'The Tin Flute', the churches dogma impedes Florentine's growth as a person in that it tells her what to believe and how to act, restricting her ability to introspect and truly know herself, as well as her personal ethics and values. Another harmful aspect of the church is the shame that it places on some. Where the church fails to be present in enforcing its doctrine its people more than compensate, often discriminating or condemning their victims. For example in 'The Tin Flute' Florentine makes love to Jean and becomes pregnant. In that context premarital relations and pregnancy especially were greatly frowned upon and Florentine experiences a deep-seated shame she cannot contest. She describes her inner pain as a "muted lament" and wanders the streets of St.Henri for hours in an attempt to come to terms with her depression. This is only one of the many social stigmatizations the church is responsible for and it is a shame that the Church doesn't practice the understanding that it preaches. Another large issue present in 'The Tin Flute' is that of contraception. Throughout St. Henri, although money is extremely scarce and most families are barely surviving as is the mothers continue having children. This is mainly because the Church speaks quite avidly against birth control, and even though children are starving and dieing it stays f
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Approximate Word count = 1564
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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