Frank O'Connor's First Confession Jackie And Nora example essay topic

Triumph of a Child's Confidence by Overcoming a Fear in Frank O'Connor's "First Confession " David W. Madden believes several of Frank O'Connor's stories reflect his personal life and goals. Jackie, the young protagonist, in the "First Confession", loves his mother as equally as O'Connor loved his mother. Madden also believes O'Connor should have selected a religious calling because the priests mentioned in his stories incorporate the instrumental impact on the "laity's lives" (3227). Understanding women, contributed by his mother's influence, frequently are displayed in O'Connor's writings. Madden feels that some of O'Connor's stories focus on "na " ive, sensitive figures who struggle with what seems to them the insoluble mysteries of existence", such as children's journey through life (3227-28).

The story reinforces the theme that a child overcoming a fear of the unknown can enhance his sense of confidence. The plot of "First Confession" is about a young boy, Jackie, trying to conquer the terror of telling his first confession. Jackie's problems begin when his grandmother comes to live at the house. He detests her for being an alcoholic, slovenly ill-mannered woman.

Most of all, Jackie is upset that he is excluded from the penny allowance that his sister, Nora, gets. Because his sister and grandmother side against him, Jackie's life becomes intolerable. Jackie is preparing to receive his First Penance and First Holy Communion. Mrs. Ryan, the religion education teacher, projects a negative image to Jackie about confessing his sins. She is a woman who only spoke of Hell and mentioned Heaven only by accident. Jackie feels she is a lady where "Hell had the first place in her heart" (176).

Mrs. Ryan entices the children with money to stick their finger in the flame of a candle. She associates this with burning in Hell. An example is a horrid story about a man who makes a bad confession. The man wakes a priest in the middle of the night insisting he make a confession. After the priest is dressed, the man is gone only to leave behind his handprints burned into the sheets. Jackie is forced to go to confession with his wicked sister, Nora.

When it is Jackie's turn to go into the confessional, he is so nervous that he kneels on the armrest. Consequently, he slips and plunges out the door. Nora is embarrassed and begins to smack him. As soon as the priest sees Nora hitting Jackie, he reprimands her and escorts him into the confessional. Jackie admits to the priest that he wants to kill his grandmother and sister. They talk about the horrific details of hanging for such vicious crimes.

At first, Jackie is unwilling to confess but regretful for having to part with his new friend (the priest). He values him as an exceptionally entertaining character "in the religious line" (182). Jackie is a young na " ive boy who is nervous about the transition of obligations according to his religion. He is planning to make his First Communion, but initially he is required to make his First Penance. Jackie proclaims, "I was scared to death of confession" (177). He thinks his sins are disgraceful, and he may be punished for them.

On the other hand, he is petrified to make a bad confession because he does not want to burn in Hell for eternity like Mrs. Ryan taught him. Jackie's youth and innocence leads him to believe literally the tales that have been told to him about confession (178). Jackie thinks that his grandmother and sister are the core to all his evil doing, and he wishes death upon both of them. Most young children have these same feelings. Jackie's confidence increases because of the relationships he finds in his mother and the priest. Jackie's mother is the typical mom.

She is always shielding him from the world, and especially his father's thrashings. It seems she is his only ally in the world until he meets the priest. Jackie feels betrayed when Nora takes him to confession instead of his mother. As a result, his sister torments him while walking to the church. At first, Jackie is afraid of the priest for he represents possible eternal damnation. After the incident of Jackie plunging out of the confessional door and Nora attacking him, the priest changes from an angry and irritated person to patient and understanding man.

Jackie's confidence in himself and in the church are heightened and secured because of the priest's actions. Madden feels Jackie "captures brilliantly the angst that Roman Catholic children often endure when preparing for the early sacraments of penance and communion". He also states many children, after learning the Ten Commandments, feel they have broken all ten, exactly like Jackie has (3227). Nora, the antagonist, is a wretched girl who lives to plague her brother, Jackie. She is in competition with him for attention from family members. Madden states, "Nora is entirely believable" on how she influences her family to see and take her side; it displays the intricate morals of family life and her "self-righteous indignant" side (3227).

Nora gloats about the penny her grandmother gives her from "the old-age pension" (176). After Jackie lunges at her with a knife, she immediately tells her father, so he will receive a beating. Madden also reveals that Nora is an apparent two-faced little girl, and her very "passionate moments" are used agonizing her brother (3228). Since Jackie's mother cannot take him to confession, Nora is obligated to escort him.

As they walk toward the chapel yard, she reminds him to tell the priest all the nasty sins he has committed from the language he uses to the attempt on her life. She acts like a "raging malicious devil" until they enter the church. There she appears to be an "exhibition of devotion", but Jackie and the priest are able to see through her angel-like persona (178-79). Eventually Jackie "disgraces" Nora when he falls out of the confessional door.

She yells to him, you are a "dirty little caff ler" (180). Nora is jealous because the priest walks with Jackie outside, and no priest has ever taken the time to get to know her. Curtis Bowden believes Nora is astonishingly angry at the "rewards of sin" (311). When Nora is walking Jackie to church, she teases Jackie about confessing his sins. The conflicts through the story track Jackie from an unsure fearful boy, to a confident young man.

Nora, the antagonist, represents the hateful conniving enemy. She constantly reminds him of his mortal sins and to confess all, or he will spend an eternity in Hell. The walk with Nora to church is the same feeling as a man walking down death row where his sins will be justified. Jackie feels his sins are equivalent to a convict's heinous crime. Nora throws Jackie through the church doors.

The doors with beautiful stained-glass windows close behind him. The light from outside casts a deep shadow, and the wind howls outside like it is Halloween night. Jackie feels that "the silence within seemed to crackle like ice under my feet" (178). He compares this holy solace place to a haunted house and is extremely uncomfortable just standing there. The church symbolizes purity and, he feels tainted with guilt. He knows he is damned and is going to be given up to "eternal justice".

In the resolution of the story, Jackie finally confesses his sins and feels pure as a newborn baby, free of sin. The priest listens and talks to Jackie in a sympathetic manner. He walks him outside, and Jackie feels he has made a new friend and ally. Jackie is satisfied that Nora is jealous of his friendship with the priest. At last, another person in his life that is not taken by Nora's bogus character. Jackie is "genuinely sorry to part with him [the priest]" (182).

Madden explains, Jackie's pride swells because the priest appears to take him so seriously and because he appears to have to have an ally in his growing discontentment with women" (3226). Throughout the story, innocence of a child's view of the unknown is accentuated byO " Connor's way of working in important literary techniques. The narrative approach and use of ironies make the story comical and good-natured. Madden suggests", the narrative technique and subtle ironies of situation and observation indicate a refined sensibility" which composes that the story accurately represents a child's experience into a "rite of passage" (3228). The narrative form gives the story a "relaxed and conversational" tone (Madden 3228). Weber thinks because O'Connor has evolved a a strong accomplish able voice in his dealing with children, he is able to switch from an "omniscient narrator to an admiring little boy" (124).

It gives the sense of Jackie sitting in front of the reader recapping his youthful traumatic experience. As a Catholic, one understands the anguish Jackie is suffering, and the language is simple and precise for readers of any religion to sympathize with him. Madden conveys that "the story's energy emanates from the subjective narrative point of view" (3228). Evans and Magaw believe "First Confession" posses informal wording and style also "the give- and- take of real human dialogue", which can transcend ordinary discussion to move like "music' " (149). The ironies in the story transform terrifying incidents in a child's life into light-hearted events.

A reader gains knowledge of childhood situations from Jackie's aspect, which is a young gullible boy that takes everything said to him word-for-word. When Mrs. Ryan tells her stories, Jackie believes they are true. She is only trying to scare him into leading a faithful life, not to be afraid of penance or God. Fear of the unknown does not discriminate between the young and old.

Although adults can reason with fear, children try to run away from it, and sometimes are dramatized forever. Madden suggests that this is O'Connor's "most widely anthologized story", and this is owed to the accurate and compassionate description of a child going through a religious ritual (3228). To defeat the terror of the unknown increases one's assurance. Triumph of a Child's Confidence by Overcoming a Fear in Frank O'Connor's "First Confession"I. Thesis statement: The story reinforces the theme that a child overcoming a fear of the unknown can enhance his sense of confidence.

II. The plot of "First Confession" is about a young boy, Jackie, trying to conquer the terror of telling his first confession. A. Jackie's problems begin when the grandmother moves in. 1. She is an alcoholic, slovenly ill-mannered woman. 2. She excludes him from the penny allowance his sister, Nora, gets.

3. His life becomes intolerable. B. Jackie is preparing for his First Penance and First Communion. 1. Mrs. Ryan, a religious educator, projects a negative image about confessing.

2. She entices the children with money to hold their finger in the flame of a candle. 3. She tells them about a man who made a bad confession. 4. Nora takes him to church to confess.

5. He is so nervous that he ends up falling out of the confessional. 6. She begins to smack him. 7. The priest comes out and reprimands her behavior. C. Jackie admits to wanting to kill his grandmother and sister.

1. The priest talks to him about hanging for such crimes. 2. Jackie is regretful when parting with the priest 3. He values the priest as an entertaining character in the religious line. Jackie, a young innocent boy, is nervous about the transition in his religious role. A. Madden also thinks that he is an impeccable example of the na " ive and susceptible characters that O'Connor focuses on.

(G #2) 1. He is going to receive his First Holy Communion but is required to initially make his First Penance. 2. Jackie proclaims, "I was scared to death of confession". (A#1) 3. His sins are disgraceful.

4. He is petrified of making a bad confession. 5. He believes literally the tales he is told about confession. 6.

Jackie's grandmother and sister are the core of his evil 7. He wishes them dead. B. Jackie's confidence increases because of his mother and the priest. 1. His mother shields him from the world. 2.

She is his only ally. 3. 4. Nora the entire walk to the church torments him. 5. The priest represents eternal damnation. 6.

The priest changes his attitude toward Jackie. 7. His confidence in the church and himself are heightened. 8. Madden believes Jackie captures brilliantly the angst that Roman Catholic children often endure.

(G #1) IV. Nora is a wretched girl who lives to plague her brother, Jackie. A. She is in competition for attention. 1. Madden states Nora is entirely believable on how she influences her family. (G #2) 2. She gloats about the penny she gets.

3. Jackie tries to kill her. B. Madden also feels she is two-faced and her passionate moments are used to agonizing her brother. (G #3) 1. She acts like a raging malicious devil. 2. She appears to be an exhibition of devotion.

(A #3) 3. When Jackie disgraces Nora, she calls him a dirty little. (A #3) 4. Madden feels Nora is angry at the rewards of sin. (C #1) V. The conflict begins when Nora takes Jackie to confession. A. Jackie goes from a boy to a man. 1.

Nora represents the enemy. 2. She reminds him of his sins. 3. The walk to church is like a man walking down death row. 4.

Jackie feels his sins are equal to a convict's crime. B. Nora throws Jackie through the doors of the church. 1. The doors slam shut. 2. The light casts a shadow. 3.

The wind howls like Halloween night. 4. The silence within seemed to crackle like ice under my feet. 5. Compares a holy place to a haunted house.

6. Church symbolizes purity, and he feels tainted. 7. He will be given up to eternal justice. VI. In the solution, Jackie finally confesses. A. He feels like a newborn baby.

1. The priest listens in a sympathetic manner. 2. Jackie feels he has a friend and ally in the priest. 3. Jackie is happy that Nora is jealous.

4. Madden explains that Jackie's pride swells because the priest appears to take him so seriously and because he appears to have an ally in his growing discontentment with women. (G #1) VII. Innocence of a child's view of the unknown is accentuated by the literary techniques used. A. The narrative form and ironies make the story humorous and good-natured. 1. Madden believes that These techniques indicate a refined sensibility.

(G #4) 2. He also says it composes accurately a child's experience into a rite of passage. (G #4) B. Narrative approach 1. Madden explains that the story has a relaxed and conversational tone. (G #3) 2. Weber believes that O'Connor moves from the omniscient narrator to an admiring little boy.

(F #1) 3. There is a sense that Jackie is telling the reader the story face-to-face. 4. Evans and Magaw feel it posses informal writing and style.

(B #1) 5. Discussions move like music. Ironies 1. Changing terrifying incidents into lighthearted events 2. Learn through Jackie's aspect 3. Mrs. Ryan is trying to teach the children to live a faithful life, not to be afraid of confessing. V. To defeat the terror of the unknown increases one's self- assurance

Bibliography

Bowden, Curtis. "Synopses and Quick Critiques". Frank O'Connor: New Perspectives. Eds. Robert C. Evans and Richard Harp. West Cornwall, CT. : Locust Hill, 1988.
297-350. De nio, Megan L. "The Child In, Around and of Father Fogarty". Eds. West Cornwall, CT. : Locust Hill, 1988.
139-147. Evans, Robert C. and Katie Magaw. "Irony and Paradox in Frank O'Connor's Style". Eds. West Cornwall, CT. : Locust Hill, 1988.
149-155. Madden, David W. "First Confession / O'Connor". Master plots II 8. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Pasadena, CA. : Salem Press, 1996.
3226-3228. O'Connor, Frank. "First Confession". Frank O'Connor: Collected Stories. New York: Vintage Books, 1982.
175-182. Weber, Owen e. "A Woman's Voice Speaking". Eds. West Cornwall, CT. : Locust Hill, 1988.