At first glance, the novel Angela's Ashes portrays a culture in which feminism seems impossibility. The title character is a virtual martyr to her family, and is victimized by her husband's drunkenness and laziness. In the context of the book, she is by no means an exception, as Irish women in general seem to treated as inferiors, even as possessions. However, it is also clear that Angela does not see herself as a victim of society, but as accepting of her fate in a larger way. Her children will have the option of greater freedom in the New World.