First Confession (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Frank O'Connor
- First Published: 1939
- Type of Plot: Psychological
- Time of Work: Probably the late 1930's
- Setting: Unspecified, but probably Cork, Ireland
- Principal Characters: Jackie, Nora, Their mother, Gran, Father
- Genres: Psychological fiction, Short fiction
- Subjects: Children, Religion, Guilt, 1930’s, Grandparents or grandchildren, Catholics or Catholic Church, Ireland or Irish people, Priests
- Locales: Cork, Ireland
The Story
The tale is narrated by Jackie, a seven-year-old boy who must make his first confession before receiving his first Communion. A precocious boy, Jackie is distressed because his paternal grandmother has moved from the country to live with his family. He is disgusted by the woman's love of porter beer, her inclination to eat potatoes with her hands, and her favoring his sister, Nora, with an allowance denied him. The boy feels that his sister and grandmother side against him and make his life unbearable.
He has been prepared for the sacraments of penance and...
[The entire page is 1443 words long]
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