First Connfession Essay, Research Paper

Frank O?Connor wrote and published two versions of the story, ?First Confession?. The first version was written in limited omniscient point of view and the second one was written in a first person point of view. I found after reading both versions that the limited omniscient style was entertaining, effective and more to my liking.

The version written in omniscient style opens and gives a quick description of the boy and his sister. It gives a short but detailed description of the setting. It is written in such a manner that you can almost see the boy being dragged through the crowded streets by his sister. Even though it is brief, the description is vivid and lifelike. The bickering conversation between the boy and his sister brings more reality to the story. This leads up to the confessional scene. The first person version gives you more detail and focuses on past events. It seems to be drawn out and tiresome. The amusement of the other version was not there. This scene eventually leads up to the walk to church for the boy?s confession.

The confessional scene in the first person was described clearly and simply. It showed the description of the confessional box, detailed the young boys actions and related the conversation between the priest and the boy. It was dry and straight to the point. The limited omniscient version described the same events but in a humorous manner. The events were presented in a comical way that made me laugh. You could almost see the fear in the young boy?s eyes as he entered the confessional. His thoughts about where he should sit and how he should act were shown with wit and comedy. The boys confession to the priest was written with humor. It was detailed and amusing at the same time.

The endings of both versions of ?First Confession? were somewhat similar. I found each one showed what Jackie and Nora were feeling. They both showed that Nora was upset with her brothers new friendship with the priest and that Jackie was happy to be put before his sister for once. The limited omniscient version showed more verbal contact between the brother and sister. Their arguing was more animated because of the greater amount of dialogue. Her dislike of the situation was plainly obvious in both versions.

Of the two, I likes the limited omniscient style the best. It told more of a story using dialogue, humorous scenes and actions. Being a Catholic it left more of an impression on me. The humor and point of view throughout the story was entertaining and definitely made the story more effective.