Baca Juga
A. Introduction
This is a good Short Story to be discussed. If we have read this story we may understand how the story was. And we should know about the intrinsic of the story. If you want to understand the short story more carefully it will find a different meaning than just reading. This will be the writers try to describe it in this paper, anything that can help us to understand the story of the author's intent. Because only by analyzing these stories we can understand what the author intended.
First Confession by Frank O’Connor is one of the short stories that will be analyzed by the writer. This story is about Jackie’s first confession. Even though he is scared and has committed terrible sins, he learns that confessing is not so terrible. From this paper we perhaps know what is the author’s goal or purpose in writing this story. After reading the story we can feel our reaction to this story, and how does our reaction influence our reading. Just read the story to knowing more.
We will find the plot, point of view, tone, setting, and theme of the “First Confession” written by Frank O’Connor if we read the story carefully. If not, let the writer discus at the other pages. With this discussion we should know “how, what, and why” are the author write this story.
What a plot is and what a story is can be sometimes confusing. If we think they are the same. They are not. A plot is the outline of the story. The story is everything included point of view, tone, theme, and setting so.
B. Theoretical Concept
Focus of the study in this paper is how are the plot, point of view, tone, setting, and theme of the “First Confession” written by Frank O’Connor?
From that focus of this paper the writer can get some theoretical concept to understanding what are their effect in the story, and how to knowing them.
1. The definition of Plot
Plot is the technical term that applies to these connected events in a story. Plot refers to a series of interrelated events, during which some conflict or problem is resolve. Plot can be looked at for purposes of discussion as if isolated from the people concerned with those events and that conflict or problem. [1]
Plot is a story that contains a causal relation. However, each part of the story is connected by cause and effect[2]. Plot is the way in which events are arranged in a work of literature.
Plot gives information about the detail of the story in the Novel or Short Story. From the plot the writer can find the theme of the story itself and how the author characterizes the main character in the Novel or Short Story because plot itself consist of idea, tendency, motive, and massage lending from both of the incident and the character. Without a plot there is no good story.
2. The definition of Point of View
Point of view is the story maker’s (the writer, the author) authority to control over how the story is to be told, and how is going to tell. He has control over who the characters are, what they do, and why they do it.
There are two major approaches the author can take: (1) he can present the story as if told by someone who is, himself, completely outside it, or (2) he can present the story as if told by one of its characters.[3] Here are the point of view methods that the writer used. (a) The All Knowing or Omniscient Point of View; in this case in the all-knowing point of view, the narrator sees all and knows all. He can refer whenever he chooses to any act of any character and to any thought of any character, and he can comments on actions and thought as he pleases, (b) Detached Observed; a variant of the omniscient point of view allows the narrator to describe what the various character look like and what they do and say as if he were a detached observe who knows no more about them than this. The reader is lead to make judgments on what character is thinking, but he is never told what anyone is thinking; he has to infer this from carefully observed behavior, (c) First Person Narrator – The Principal Character; the main character can tell his own story in the first person-as an “I,” (d) First Person Narrator – a Minor Character; another first person technique is to let a minor character tell the story, to have as unnamed observer who is assumed to be direct witness of events, but who does not have any active part in the story.
3. The definition of Tone
This is the attitude of the speaker. That involves not only tone of voice, but word choice and selection of detail. We get quite accomplished at picking our words and phrases to give attitudes as well as information, and at recognizing when someone else is doing the same.[4]
4. The definition of Setting
Most stories are set in a particular place at a particular time. This localozation is perfectly natural, since human actions do not occur in a vaccum[5]. The setting is the place where the story takes an action. Since the human action in the story not in vacuum there are more set of the place will be shown. Not just the place but the date must be specific to show how the human act at that place.
Setting is literally the location where the action takes place, and it can be artificially construction or nature.[6]
5. The definition of Theme
Story are written because writers have something to say about human experience, and they feel they can best say it by showing human beings living through a series of events that leave them different from what they were before the events took place.[7]
Moreover Robert has pointed out that a word theme is defined by the presence of this idea, for being theme: a piece of writing must have the central idea as its core. Everything in the theme should be directly related to this idea or should contribute to the reader, understanding of the idea.[8]
Theme is not summary of the story. Theme in literature is important subject and experiences of our public and private live such as, love, death, marriage, hope, despair, and so on. The common experiences in lives can be a theme in literature.[9]
C. Analysis
· Plot
In the opening paragraph as illustrations of the situation when the sister lead her brother to go to some place, but her brother don’t want to follow him. He more interest in the shop windows. Here is the small boy and his diabolical sister but full of passionate sympathy were illustrated in the first paragraph.
The first major scene of the plot takes place in paragraph 1 through 8, at the street. Were Nora led his brother’s hand t the church, Jackie, but he resists. He bawl when Nora dragged him. He still wants to go home.
The minor scene of the plot is in the home. Here is the flashback in the 6 paragraph, were after this Jackie allowed himself to be lead through the sunny streets to the church (paragraph 7), “oh, Sacred Heart, isn’t it a terrible pity you weren’t a good boy? Oh, Jackie, me heart bleeds for you! I don’t know what they’ll do to you at all, Jackie, me poor child. And all the trouble you caused your poor old nanny, and the way you wouldn’t eat in the same room with her, and the time you kicked her on the sins, and the time you went for me with the bread knife under the table. I don’t know will he ever listen to you at all, Jackie. I think me self he might Sind you to the bishop. Oh Jackie, how will you think of all your sins?”
The scene change in page 236-240 when Jackie enters the church and see all of the thing and what the people do there on the day of Communion and the confession. It is actually described clearly by Jackie.
The first confession begins in paragraph 12 at the right hand wall Jackie said: “bless me, father, for I have sinned. This is my first confession.” But no answer from the priest, until direct to the opposite wall and the same event comes. He realizes the cause of the problem in the next paragraph. “A sort of shelf at about the height of his head….” The conflict resolve after he climbs to the shelf. He tries and gets the answer.
Another conflict begins when a soutaned figure stood bolt upstairs and exclaimed see Jackie sit on the shelf. “What does this mean? What are you doing there? Who are you? (Paragraph 17). ” When Nora comes and feel disgrace, she slapped Jackie (paragraph 19-20). “….Nora slapped him again”. The priest sends Nora out of the church and tries to stop the Jackie’s crying. The conflict resolve by the priest and they begin to take the conversation in paragraph 23. This is the first time were a good relationship forming between the priest and Jackie. Flashback and foreshadowing Plot to kill his grandmother, trying to stab his sister, and all the other things he has done (p. 239-240). Here is where Jackie finds out he is not the devil everyone tells him he is. The priest actually says (p. 240, paragraph 15) “there’s a lot of people I want o get rid out.” The priest gives Jackie advice but in the way he talks you can tell it s probably sarcastic. He tells Jackie about other boys who tried to kill their grandmothers and said it was not worth it (paragraph 21:240). He tells Jackie it would not be a good idea but does not use any harsh criticism. They actually together are sharing stories. In the end Jackie realizes she is not so bad after all.
In the end of the scene Nora was waiting in the yard and the confident shown at Jackie.
· Point of view
At the beginning of the story, O’Connor may use The All Knowing or Omniscient point of view. He describes to choose any act of the character and any thought of the character, he tells the goodness in the bad side of the character. The following of the first paragraph illustrates this point of view:
“It was a Saturday afternoon in early spring. A small boy whose face looked as though it had been but newly scrubbed was being led by his sister through a crowded street. The little boy showed a marked reluctance to proceed; he affected to be very interested in the shop-windows. Equally, his sister seemed to pay no attention to them. She tried to hurry him; he resisted. When she dragged him he began to bawl. The hatred with which she viewed him was almost diabolical, but when she spoke her words and tone were full of passionate sympathy.”
The short story “First Confession” written by Frank O’Connor is written in first person point of view. The narrator in this story is also the main character, or protagonist. The protagonist’s name is Jackie. Jackie is a young boy who is terrified of making his first confession. The fact that this piece is written so open and honestly it makes it easy for reader’s to understand and interpret the narrator Jackie.
The speaker is telling this story to convey to readers his point of view. Jackie puts his entire situation out there for the reader to interpret as they please. He is very honest throughout this story even going as far as telling readers that he loathes his own grandmother. “I made it up to kill my grandmother.” “She’s a horrible woman.” (O’Connor 239) Jackie also criticizes other characters in the work including his sister Nora. “and she gives pinnies to Nora and she doesn’t give no pinnies to me because she knows I can’t stand her. And me father sides with her, father, and he bates me, and me heart is broken and wan night in bed I made it up the way I’d kill her.” (O’Conner p. 239: 16) He does this to paint a clear picture to the reader exactly what he is feeling and to make them understand what is fueling his fire.
First person narrator not just brings from the protagonist, but from Nora side in the “First Confession” when she tells story. See the following paragraph:
“Oh, Sacred Heart, isn’t it a terrible pity you weren’t a good boy? Oh, Jackie, oh me heart bleeds for you! I don’t know what they’ll do to you at all, Jackie, me poor child. And all the trouble you caused your poor old nanny, and the way you wouldn’t eat in the same room with her, and the time you kicked her on the shins, and the time you went for me with the bread knife under the table. I don’t know will he ever listen to you at all, Jackie. I think meself he might sind you to the bishop. Oh, Jackie, how will you think of all your sins?”
· Tone
To contrast hypocrisy, O’Connor puts style of humor to use creating a lighthearted tone when upon exiting the confessional Nora, Jackie, older and wiser sister puts. Her doing so is an incredible follow-up to her malicious and regretfully toned reminders to Jackie of his past offenses such as: Oh, Sacred Heart Isn’t it a terrible pity you weren’t a good boy? , My heart bleeds for you, and how will you ever think of all your sins (O’Connor p. 325:6) as well as her musing on the dreadful punishments that surely await him while on the way to the church. “I don’t know will he ever listen to you at all, Jackie. I think meself he might sind you to the bishop (p. 235:6).The humor in Nora’s unmistakably obvious hypocrisy again gives a lighthearted tone to the otherwise seriousness of the situation. This effect creates a clearly dramatic point that hypocrisy exemplifies nothing more than immature childlike behavior in a person.
“God knew about the bad confession he intended to make and had made him deaf and blind so that he could neither hear nor see thee priest. (p. 237:1)” Here the narrator tries to make a joke with the child though.
And a joking comments on how the priest draws the details of Jackie’s good confession out of him. He tells Jackie that the people who killed will be swinging out of them for hours and poor fellow lepping and roaring, like bells in a belfry, and then they put lime on them to bun them up. They’re dead but they don’t dead at all. If Jackie not event to get grid of a grandmother, he asks dozens of follows like Jackie that killed their grandmothers about it, and they all said it’s wasn’t worth it (O’Connor 240). The priest knows how to make a child will follow what he said with unserious comment. He tries to make thinking like a child must do.
· Setting
At the first paragraph the story set at Saturday afternoon in the beginning spring take place in a crowded street. Nora drags Jackie and no to pay attention of the people around him. She is happy when they both have arrived to near in the street outside of the church. “now you’re caught! Now, you’re caught. And I hope he’ll give you the pinitintial psalma! That’ll cure you, you suppurating little caffler!” (p. 236:2)
The next setting takes place in the church written in page 236-240 when Jackie saw everything and what the people do. And here he get the first confession. New views for Jackie beside the confession box where Nora and other people sit. “Nora sat in front of him beside the confession box…”
The last setting is in the yard of church where Nora waiting for Jackie when the sunlight very bright that makes dazzle Nora’s eyes (p. 240:22). “Nora was waiting in the yard….”
· Theme
The story reinforces the theme that a child overcoming a fear of the unknown can enhance his sense of confidence. The theme is about how the important the confession is. It’s shown in the first page when Nora must bring Jackie to the church for confession. “You’ll have to go. The parish priest will be up to the house with a stick.” O’Connor uses the theme of honesty in many different aspects of his writing, he emphasizes in the characters dialogue. Jackie tells everyone how he feels and does what he feels he should because to him that was being honest in “First Confession page 238-240.” In “First Confession” here Jackie the main character learns from a priest about what is right and wrong. He also learns that sometimes what parents and adults do is not always the same as what a child growing and learning should do. In the “First Confession,” Jackie loves his mother as equally as O’Connor loved his mother. O’Connor should have selected a religious theme because the priests mentioned in his stories incorporate the instrumental impact on the Jackie’s lives.
D. Conclusion
First Confession is the story about the young boy who feels the horrible sins with the people around him. The main conflict in the story comes about midway when Jackie is told he has to attend his first confession where he will make his first communion in church. The story told with many points of view and brought with the joking comment from characters. The theme is about a child problem where resolve with the religion way as what O’Connor live as narrator.
Bibliography
Nurgiantoro, Burhan, Drs, Mpd. Teori Pengkajian Fiksi. Yogyakarta: Gadja Mada Univercity Press.
March, Nicholas. an Introduction to Literary Theory, London. Rutledge, 1st ed. 1999
O’Connor, Frank, “First Confession,” in Boynton, Robert W., and Mack, Maynard, introduction to the Short Story, Rochelle Park, New Jersey: Hayden Book Company, Inc. 1965
[1] Robert W. Boynton, Introduction to the Short Story. 2nd ed, Rochelle Park, New Jersey:Hayden Book Company, Inc.1965. p. 12-13
[2] Nurgianto, orchid, p.113
[3] Robert W. Boynton, Introduction to the Short Story. 2nd ed, Rochelle Park, New Jersey:Hayden Book Company, Inc.1965. p.32
[4] Ibid. p. 2
[5] Ibid.
[6] Susan Hayward, Key Concept in Cinema Studio. (London; Rutledge, 1996). P. 313
[7] Robert W. Boynton, Introduction to the Short Story. 2nd ed, Rochelle Park, New Jersey:Hayden Book Company, Inc.1965. p.61
[8] Robert Edgar V. ”Writing Theme about Literature”. (Prentice Hall Inc. England Wood chits, 5th ed, New Jersey, 1983). P.8
[9] Nicholas March. An Introduction to Literary Studies, ( London; Rutledge.1999. 1st ed). P.2
