Depression

Frank McCourt struggles with depression throughout his novel, 'Tis A Memoir. Though Frank refers to it as 'dark clouds' in his head, it is clear that it is depression that McCourt suffers from. Frank has trouble dealing with the disappointments of life, either real or imagined. Accepting himself as worthy is another problem that faces Frank daily. McCourt feels that he is not equal to those around him, whether working in a hotel lobby or as a teacher in a vocational high school.

Frank's feelings of inadequacy stem from the fact that his father abandoned his family when Frank was a young boy of ten. His mother Angela's struggle to provide for her family forever altered the young Frank as he is left to wonder what made his father chose alcohol over his wife and sons. Frank's abandonment issues follow him into adulthood as he is left to...