Literary Analysis On "Typhoid Fever"

Rather Frank McCourt's memoir "Typhoid Fever" is fact or fiction, has been a debate. The memoir is true because of its realistic aspects to it. The memoir is about typical things a poor, Irish boy would go through in his time. He would go through things such as illness, poverty, and Catholicism. "Typhoid Fever" is about what the author had to go through when he had typhoid fever.

The memoir is about the author having typhoid fever when he was ten and what happen in that time. In the beginning of the memoir, he is sharing a room with a girl who has diphtheria. Back then in Ireland it was common for people to get those diseases. Since the author was poor, he lived in the house that had the toilet on the porch and that is what gave him typhoid fever. It was possible to recover form those diseases as well. That is why Sister Rita thinks they should give thanks by "...saying the rosary" or "...reading The Little Messenger of the Sacred Heart that's beside your beds" (McCourt 367). She does not think it is right for them to talk when they were given the gift of recovery from god.

Back when the author was ten, there was very strict Catholicism. Boys and girls were not supposed to share a room or talk to each other alone in fear of them doing something they are not suppose to. That is why the nurse told them "...I told ye there was no talking between room... We gave ye a warning to stop the blathering but ye wouldn't, take the by" (McCourt 369). Even though Patricia was only reciting a poem to him, he was forced out of the room because of the strict Catholicism. Some people might ask if there was such strict Catholicism then why they shared a room. It could have been that that part of the room was for the lower class. On the other hand, it could have been the parts of the hospital were they put the recovering because Sister Rita states, "You could be giving thanks for