Far and Away

The movie “Far and Away” tells three stories of different people who leave Ireland to find land and success in the United States. Their reasons for leaving Ireland vary greatly but the challenges they meet when they do reach the United States are quite similar.

Each individual or group had a different reason for leaving Ireland in this movie. Shannon was the daughter of a wealthy landlord and compared to most people in Ireland at the time had an ideal life. But because of her family’s status, Shannon was expected to be a proper woman by her mother. She left for the United States because she was strong-willed and wanted to be herself. Joseph on the other hand came from a poor family. His father had just passed away and his family’s home had been burned down on order of their landlord who happened to be Shannon’s father. Joseph went to their home to kill Shannon’s father but failed and ended up going to America with Shannon. Shannon’s parents left for the United States after an angry mob burned their home and they essentially left due to fear, but also wanted to reunite with Shannon.

Despite the fact that Shannon and Joseph were from different socioeconomic classes they faced many similar challenges. Joseph arrived with very little money, and Shannon brought silver spoons to sell to make money. She trusted a man named Mr. McGuire with her spoons but he stole them from her. Because of this they were both very poor and had to work in a chicken factory where they made little money. They had to share a small room. Being poor was a challenge for Shannon because she had never had to work or worry about money. Joseph also struggled with trusting the wrong person. He quit his job at the factory to be a boxer where he made much better money but as soon as he lost a fight, his manager, Mr. Kelly took all of Joseph’s money. Joseph and Shannon became homeless and were forced to wander the streets and beg for jobs, but because they were Irish no one would hire them. Their expectations of America were not actually met when they arrived there. They thought they would be handed land and life would be great, but tat was not the case due to being taken advantage of and due to racism.

After losing everything, Shannon and Joseph break into a wealthy person’s home to find food and shelter. Shannon is shot after the homeowner returns to find them there and Joseph brings her to her parents so she can live. He is not allowed to stay with them and has to go elsewhere. He finds a job and is alone for a while but eventually is reunited with Shannon at the land race. He buys a horse that is well trained but this horse dies and he is forced to buy a horse that is untrained. This works in his favor though because the horse is very fast. Because of this horse Joseph is able to find the grassy field with a river running through it for him and Shannon to live on.

Did the government aid immigrants in any form during this time period?

Do you think it is easier for immigrants now because the government does assist them?