Frank McCourt, grew up in poverty. He grew from the slums of Brooklyn to the streets of Ireland and survived. His father drank away his earnings and thus, there was no money for clothes or food. The family often had stale bread and milk for dinner with some sugar to take the bad taste away. They all lived in a one room apartment for the most of their lives and had a low chance for survival. Around him Frank saw his family slowly die. First his sister, then his twin brothers. Soon, enough it could have been him. This memoir was about the life of an Irish Catholic, who not only went through pain and hunger, but who also survived it.
When Frank's Father would leave home and go to the pub to drink his beer, Frank would often talk to the angel on the seventh step. Frank's father told him that this angel is what brought his brother Alphie to them. Frank would sit at the step and find comfort and warmth from the step. Before his first communion Frank sat at the step asking advice about what he would say for confession. He did not know what sins that he committed that the priest should hear about. Through the angel on the seventh step he was able to make decisions and solve problems. He was able to rationalize what was going on around him.
Often Frank is unsure of who to ask, for answers. He tries to ask his parents but gets ignored. Frank asks the angel on the seventh step to help instead. Frank thinks that this angel can help him with his first confession and with what is going on in the family. When Frank’s father comes home drunk at night-Franks goes to the stair and asks why his mother is upset. He finds comfort in the step. He learns that his father is the reason for the family to have no food.
Being from the America and living in Ireland, also does not help Frank gain friends. The angel becomes his friend and comforts him when he has no one to talk to or no one that will listen to him. The angle on the seventh step helps Frank go through life's unexpectancy's and answer his questions. All though this angel is in his imagination, Frank sees this angel as a way to communicate his feeling and thoughts.