First Confession
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Themes
All Themes Catholicism, Judgment and Hypocrisy Fear and Violence Faith and Ritual
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Jackie Nora The Priest Gran Mrs. Ryan Father Mother
Terms
All Terms Confession Communion Confessional Penitential Psalm Hail Mary
Symbols
All Symbols Fire
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First Confession

by

Frank O’Connor
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Mrs. Ryan Character Analysis

Mrs. Ryan, also called Ryan in the story, is a neighbor of Jackie’s who goes to the children’s school to prepare them for their First Confession and First Communion. She is the same age as Gran, but she is wealthy, wearing a black cloak and bonnet and living in a large house. Instead of telling them about Catholic doctrine or even the logistics of the rituals, she talks at length about the torments of hell, daring the children to hold a finger in a candle flame for five minutes. She tells the children a ghost story about a man who goes to hell because he didn’t confess all his sins, and this is the only lesson that seems to stick with Jackie, frightening him without giving him useful information. In fact, her lessons are so useless that, when Jackie goes to confess, he doesn’t even know how to kneel in the confessional and he makes an embarrassing mistake that almost leads him to hurt himself and anger his priest.

Mrs. Ryan Quotes in First Confession

The First Confession quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Ryan or refer to Mrs. Ryan. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Catholicism, Judgment and Hypocrisy Theme Icon
).
First Confession Quotes

Then, to crown my misfortunes, I had to make my first confession and Communion. It was an old woman called Ryan who prepared us for these… She may have mentioned the other place as well, but that could only have been by accident, for Hell had the first place in her heart.

Related Characters: Jackie (speaker), Mrs. Ryan
Related Symbols: Fire
Catholicism, Judgment and Hypocrisy Theme Icon
Fear and Violence Theme Icon
Faith and Ritual Theme Icon
Page Number: 176
Explanation and Analysis:

She didn’t know the half of what I had to tell—if I told it. I knew I couldn’t tell it, and understood perfectly why the fellow in Mrs. Ryan’s story made a bad confession; it seemed a great shame that people wouldn’t stop criticizing him.

Related Characters: Jackie (speaker), Nora, Mrs. Ryan
Fear and Violence Theme Icon
Faith and Ritual Theme Icon
Page Number: 178
Explanation and Analysis:
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Mrs. Ryan Quotes in First Confession

The First Confession quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Ryan or refer to Mrs. Ryan. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Catholicism, Judgment and Hypocrisy Theme Icon
).
First Confession Quotes

Then, to crown my misfortunes, I had to make my first confession and Communion. It was an old woman called Ryan who prepared us for these… She may have mentioned the other place as well, but that could only have been by accident, for Hell had the first place in her heart.

Related Characters: Jackie (speaker), Mrs. Ryan
Related Symbols: Fire
Catholicism, Judgment and Hypocrisy Theme Icon
Fear and Violence Theme Icon
Faith and Ritual Theme Icon
Page Number: 176
Explanation and Analysis:

She didn’t know the half of what I had to tell—if I told it. I knew I couldn’t tell it, and understood perfectly why the fellow in Mrs. Ryan’s story made a bad confession; it seemed a great shame that people wouldn’t stop criticizing him.

Related Characters: Jackie (speaker), Nora, Mrs. Ryan
Fear and Violence Theme Icon
Faith and Ritual Theme Icon
Page Number: 178
Explanation and Analysis:
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