Character Analysis Of Francis Phelan's 'Ironweed'
Ironweed shares Francis Phelan’s daunting experience during events set during the Great Depression. Francis Phelan, a washed up baseball player that turns into an alcoholic after the accidental death of his younger son Gerald (XX). The consequences of these events result in Francis, fleeing home, working at a graveyard, reconciling with ghosts and witnessing the death of his two friends and lover before his eyes. Francis turned away from his family and all that loved him most. Depressed and desolated, while perfecting the art of forgetting his past struggles; guilt and alcohol are all that remained in his life. This analysis studies Phelan’s quest for attaining forgiveness and reconciliation rested on improving four important ongoing struggles, relationships, economic status, dependence, and depression.
Upon the death of his child, Francis, completely shattered, unable to ever express the situations to anyone. Francis had just turned from “Father” to “Killer”, because “Gerald
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All the main characters lived on the street and were mostly unsatisfied with the economic opportunities provided. The magnitude of this can be seen when “ “Helen, before meeting Francis, would have sex with men for shelter” (XX). Even the protagonist is no exception to this depression. Francic 's also struggled to survive, attempting to forge twenty-one votes for the Democrats, for which charges were dropped, because of a technicality his lawyer found, who again Francis could barely afford to pay. Furthermore, we start out with Francis working at a graveyard for terrible wages. “Ironweed” focuses less on the economic downfall but more on the state of mind of the characters at that time. Even though most of the character is living on the street, but spend just as much time in their head. The concept of homelessness is not looked down upon with that magnitude of disgust as it is at the present
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