An Occasion of Sin (John Montague)
deals with:
religion
immigration (entering Ireland)
traditions
being stranger
summary
page 24:
- scene plays at a small bathing place, not far from Blackrock
flashback : had a fight with her husband about going and take a bath in public, but she does without taking care of him
- goes swimming in early spring, although it is cold
page 25:
- remembers her childhood: used to bath on the Normandy coast
- in mid-May some other people join her
- mostly men come to the beach
- they have a weird way of undressing
page 26:
- they always try not to be seen naked while she just changes clothes
- feels uncomfortable, because everyone‘s watching her -> like an animal in a cage
- every time she mentions this fact towards her husband, he says she doesn‘t understand
- in mid-June, some clerical students arrive
page 27:
- they seem to be nice and funny
- François is amused by their energy
- one day they start talking to her because they notice a French book she is reading
page 28:
- they are nice to her and ask whether she is French, they seem to be polite
- from then on they talk every day
- she feels like a teacher for them
- all of them want to learn French
page 29:
- they talk about church and priests
- the students remind her of her brothers, that‘s why she likes having them around
- a fat small man starts talking to her, he thinks it‘s not right to talk to them as a women because they will become priests one day
page 30:
- she‘s giving a „bad example”
- when she says she isn‘t single, he freaks out and is very shocked of her behaviour
- this conversation confuses her so she asks her husband for advice
- he says she might be classed as an occasion of sin
page 31:
- she is angry about him and leaves the house
page 32:
- makes a decision
- the students talk to her again, now one asks how it is - to be married
page 33:
- marriage is important for her, because it is good to have the feeling of giving something to someone so she feels freer
- freedom of having committed oneself
- she wants to end this whole affair
page 34:
- the next day they try and talk to her but she doesn‘t answer to them
- they ask what is wrong
- she tells them about her worries but they already knew, they told their priest she was a good French teacher to them
- they will go on holidays soon
page 35:
- she says they will see next days but she knows they won‘t
characters:
François O‘Meara:
- chubby (pummelig), open-faced, in peace with herself and the world
- arrived from France six month before, after her marriage
- married to an Irishman
- first, she hated Ireland but only in winter, in spring she likes it
- loves her husband a lot (left her home country for him)
- owns a car, an old Austin – with it, she discovers a lot of villages -> curious
- likes taking a walk and loves swimming
- her husband describes her look as „positive”
- doesn‘t like the Irish people way of seeing the world
- after a time she adapts the people‘s thoughts
Kieran O‘Meara:
- conservative
- doesn‘t want other people to think wrong things about his wife
- looks normal, but inside he is as odd as everyone else
- believes in ghosts
What does this story add to our picture of Ireland?
- other countrymen and new ideas aren‘t welcome in Ireland -> prejudices
- you always have to stick to the status quo if you don‘t want any problems -> no tolerance
- marriage is holy for Irish people -> you can‘t talk to other genders if you are married
- traditions are important and you have to adapt them if you immigrate there
- Ireland seems to be hypocritical (scheinheilig, heuchlerisch)
- honorable (ehrenvoll) but not cheerful
- the point of view is another compared with the other short stories because its from a stranger and not an Irish persons, so it shows how the Irish people treat foreigners who don‘t know the traditions
deals with:
religion
immigration (entering Ireland)
traditions
being stranger
summary
page 24:
- scene plays at a small bathing place, not far from Blackrock
flashback : had a fight with her husband about going and take a bath in public, but she does without taking care of him
- goes swimming in early spring, although it is cold
page 25:
- remembers her childhood: used to bath on the Normandy coast
- in mid-May some other people join her
- mostly men come to the beach
- they have a weird way of undressing
page 26:
- they always try not to be seen naked while she just changes clothes
- feels uncomfortable, because everyone‘s watching her -> like an animal in a cage
- every time she mentions this fact towards her husband, he says she doesn‘t understand
- in mid-June, some clerical students arrive
page 27:
- they seem to be nice and funny
- François is amused by their energy
- one day they start talking to her because they notice a French book she is reading
page 28:
- they are nice to her and ask whether she is French, they seem to be polite
- from then on they talk every day
- she feels like a teacher for them
- all of them want to learn French
page 29:
- they talk about church and priests
- the students remind her of her brothers, that‘s why she likes having them around
- a fat small man starts talking to her, he thinks it‘s not right to talk to them as a women because they will become priests one day
page 30:
- she‘s giving a „bad example”
- when she says she isn‘t single, he freaks out and is very shocked of her behaviour
- this conversation confuses her so she asks her husband for advice
- he says she might be classed as an occasion of sin
page 31:
- she is angry about him and leaves the house
page 32:
- makes a decision
- the students talk to her again, now one asks how it is - to be married
page 33:
- marriage is important for her, because it is good to have the feeling of giving something to someone so she feels freer
- freedom of having committed oneself
- she wants to end this whole affair
page 34:
- the next day they try and talk to her but she doesn‘t answer to them
- they ask what is wrong
- she tells them about her worries but they already knew, they told their priest she was a good French teacher to them
- they will go on holidays soon
page 35:
- she says they will see next days but she knows they won‘t
characters:
François O‘Meara:
- chubby (pummelig), open-faced, in peace with herself and the world
- arrived from France six month before, after her marriage
- married to an Irishman
- first, she hated Ireland but only in winter, in spring she likes it
- loves her husband a lot (left her home country for him)
- owns a car, an old Austin – with it, she discovers a lot of villages -> curious
- likes taking a walk and loves swimming
- her husband describes her look as „positive”
- doesn‘t like the Irish people way of seeing the world
- after a time she adapts the people‘s thoughts
Kieran O‘Meara:
- conservative
- doesn‘t want other people to think wrong things about his wife
- looks normal, but inside he is as odd as everyone else
- believes in ghosts
What does this story add to our picture of Ireland?
- other countrymen and new ideas aren‘t welcome in Ireland -> prejudices
- you always have to stick to the status quo if you don‘t want any problems -> no tolerance
- marriage is holy for Irish people -> you can‘t talk to other genders if you are married
- traditions are important and you have to adapt them if you immigrate there
- Ireland seems to be hypocritical (scheinheilig, heuchlerisch)
- honorable (ehrenvoll) but not cheerful
- the point of view is another compared with the other short stories because its from a stranger and not an Irish persons, so it shows how the Irish people treat foreigners who don‘t know the traditions
