How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
I feel sorry for the rich people who will get up in the morning and go to the door and find their bread missing but I can't let myself starve to death. If I starve I'll never have the strength for my telegram boy job at the post office, which means I'll have no money to put back all that bread and milk and no way of saving to go to America and if I can't go to America I might as well jump into the River Shannon. (14.20)
Here's another quality that helps Frank keep trying: foresight. He's able to see that certain actions will have certain results. He keeps all this in his head when deciding how to act. His father lacks this quality big-time. He's impulsive and doesn't consider the consequences of his behavior. He can feel bad in retrospect, but he can't sustain anything positive.
Quote #8
I write five more letters and she gives me money for stamps. On my way to the post office I think, Why should I squander money on stamps when I have two legs to deliver the letters myself in the dead of night? (16.60)
This is the kind of thinking that makes Frankie so different from the rest. He's willing to go the extra mile (literally) just so that he can make a few extra bucks. This isn't just being smart. Malachy Sr.'s intelligent, too, but he doesn't have the motivation.
Quote #9
You live in a lane and that means you have nowhere to go but up. Do you understand that, McCourt? (16.100)
Mr. McCaffrey tries to put a positive spin on a bad situation, i.e., things can't get any worse. Don't tell us you haven't said that to yourselves at some point to keep from completely sinking.