First Confession By O`ConnorFrank OConnor wrote and published two versions of the story, FirstConfession. The first version was written in limited omniscient point of viewand the second one was written in a first person point of view. I found afterreading both versions that the limited omniscient style was entertaining,effective and more to my liking. The version written in omniscient style opensand gives a quick description of the boy and his sister. It gives a short butdetailed description of the setting. It is written in such a manner that you canalmost see the boy being dragged through the crowded streets by his sister. Eventhough it is brief, the description is vivid and lifelike. The bickeringconversation 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 moredetail and focuses on past events. It seems to be drawn out and tiresome. Theamusement of the other version was not there. This scene eventually leads up tothe walk to church for the boys confession. The confessional scene in thefirst person was described clearly and simply. It showed the description of theconfessional box, detailed the young boys actions and related the conversationbetween the priest and the boy. It was dry and straight to the point. Thelimited 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 almostsee the fear in the young boys eyes as he entered the confessional. Histhoughts about where he should sit and how he should act were shown with wit andcomedy. The boys confession to the priest was written with humor. It wasdetailed and amusing at the same time. The endings of both versions of FirstConfession were somewhat similar. I found each one showed what Jackie andNora were feeling. They both showed that Nora was upset with her brothers newfriendship with the priest and that Jackie was happy to be put before his sisterfor once. The limited omniscient version showed more verbal contact between thebrother and sister. Their arguing was more animated because of the greateramount of dialogue. Her dislike of the situation was plainly obvious in bothversions. Of the two, I likes the limited omniscient style the best. It toldmore of a story using dialogue, humorous scenes and actions. Being a Catholic itleft more of an impression on me. The humor and point of view throughout thestory was entertaining and definitely made the story more effective.
English Essays
