An Analysis of “First Confession”
Frank O’ Connor’s “First Confession” is a humorous story about fastidiousness and fear of eternal punishment for childhood sins. This is a story of a misunderstood young boy who feels disdain and disgust towards his grandmother’s looks and old ways. He also feels anger toward his relatives because they sided with his grandmother. He blames his grandmother for his childhood sins. From trying to lash his sister with bread a knife, not eating the food prepared by her grandmother, kicking his grandmother on the shin, to the extent of planning to kill his grandmother. These childhood sins have to be confessed to a priest because of Jackie’s fear of damnation and eternal punishment. His sister accompanies him to the church on his first confession. After the confession, the priest gave Jackie a very light and absurd punishment of three “Hail Marys” and to suck a bullseye, which his sister finds ironic. An analysis of First Confession” reveals that what makes this story humorous and interesting is on the elements of point of view, character and tone. “First Confession” is written in first person point of view. "I . . .
Nora, Jackie’s sister, is a flat and static character because all throughout the story her behaviors towards Jackie never change. Jackie’s grandmother is also an antagonist in the story because of her looks and behavior which disgusts Jackie. The humor of “First Confession” is well projected throughout the story. Evidence of comic tone of the story is in the control of words and language that Jackie uses to express his mixed childhood emotion. These words coming from the mouth of a typical angry and disgusted boy contributed a lot to this story’s good humor. These aspects heightened the comic tone of the story because the readers were able to visualize strongly how Jackie climbs the confession box and when the priest sees him hanging above the confession box to the time when he lost grip and fell on the floor. His attitude in the early part of the story is full of anger towards his grandmother, his sister and his parent. It gives a sense of intimacy between the narrator and the reader. Nora creates the conflict in the story from the beginning to the end. The point of view, the character and the tone used by the author made the story more effective and entertaining. The Antagonists in the story are Nora, the grandmother and the way in which Jackie felt toward his grandmother. decided that, between one thing and another, I must have broken the whole ten commandments, all on account of that old woman, and so far as I could see, so long as she remained in the house I had no hope of ever doing anything else," (Roberts, Jacobs 311). Example of this in the line “And she goes around in her bare feet, father” I went on in a rush of self pity, “and she knows I don’t like her, and she gives pennies to Nora and none to me, and my da sides with her and flakes me, and one night I was so heartscalded I made up my mind I’d have to kill her. Jackie considers his grandmother as the root of all his sins. Jackie’s bittersweet memories are successfully rendered and made comic by the use of simple, precise and direct words.
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