The Beginnings of a Sin by Bernard MacLaverty

1
The Beginnings of a Sin by Bernard MacLaverty

• Plot
• Father Lynch is late again for morning Mass and
  Colum feels sorry for him.
• Colum goes door to door in evening selling ballot
  tickets and doesnt understand when a woman tells
  him Father Lynch wont want to win the first
  prize.
• After tea at home, Colum goes to Parochial House
  to hand in money he has collected.
• Housekeeper is strangely unfriendly and tries to
  hurry him away.
• Father Lynch appears, very drunk knocks off and
  breaks Colums glasses by mistiming a pat on
  Colums head, before toppling over and cracking
  his head on radiator. (Climax of plot.)
• Colum, finally understanding that Father Lynch is
  an alcoholic, runs home, upset.
• Colum lies to his mother that he slipped on ice
  when she asks how glasses got broken. (Turning
  point.)
• Next morning, although Colum angrily tries to
  avoid him, Father Lynch apologises but checks
  whether Colum has told anyone what happened
  before pushing money into his hand.
• Colum runs away but still holds on to the money.

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The Beginnings of a Sin by Bernard MacLaverty

• Setting
• Probably 1950s/60s Colum wearing shorts and
  pulled his socks up as high as he could to try
  and keep his legs warm.
• St Kierans Catholic Church author describes
  priest dressing in vestry and how Colum serves
  him as altar boy.
• Colums home Catholic family, saying Family
  Rosary and praying for soul of dead father. Not
  rich widowed mother only one son grown up and
  working to support family.
• Parochial House divided into separate quarters
  for Father Lynch and for housekeeper.

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The Beginnings of a Sin by Bernard MacLaverty

• Characters Colum
• Altar boy jangled the cluster of bells.
• Conscientious goes out selling ballot tickets
  even in snow had sold forty-two books around
  the doors.
• Innocent doesnt understand until glasses get
  broken that priest is alcoholic mistakes his
  trembling fingers for being holier than other
  priests, more in awe of the Blessed Sacrament.

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The Beginnings of a Sin by Bernard MacLaverty

• Characters Father Lynch
• Catholic priest prepared to say Mass kissed
  the embroidered cross on his emerald stole
  responsibility to change the bread and wine into
  the body and blood of Jesus.
• Not popular None of the other altar boys liked
  Father Lynch would nip them was too quiet
  and you could never trust anybody like that.

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The Beginnings of a Sin by Bernard MacLaverty

• Alcoholic. Main clues are
• Late or doesnt turn up at all for church
  services.
• Face is sleep-crumpledfloppinessdeeply-wrinkled
  sagged and sloped into lines of sadness because
  he is hungover.
• Woman on doorstep makes sly remark that he wont
  want to win it outright then when Colum says
  second prize in raffle is whisky and sherry while
  first prize is food hamper.
• Fingers trembling during Mass due to delirium
  tremens, withdrawal symptoms from alcohol night
  before.
• Asks housekeeper if juice is strongest you can
  find for the boy to drink.
• Breath smells to Colum like altar wine.
• Stands up unsteadily and when he goes to pat
  Colums head he missed and instead his hand
  struck the side of the boys face which knocks
  Colums glasses off so they break on tiled floor.
  Bending down lurched forwards onto his knees
  and weight of his head seemed to topple him so
  cracked his skull on radiator.
• Weeps Father Lynch began to cry with his mouth
  half-open.

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The Beginnings of a Sin by Bernard MacLaverty

• Theme truth and lies
• In this story, lies are not white lies to protect
  someones feelings, as in The Exercise, but to
  keep secrets, to cover up unsavoury truth.
• Housekeeper lies, saying Father Lynch is ill
  truth is he is too drunk or hung over to come to
  Mass.
• Colum lies to mother about how glasses got
  broken says he was running and they just fell
  off. I slipped on the ice truth is Father Lynch
  knocked them off onto floor.
• Colums lie becomes just the beginning of a sin,
  because when Father Lynch gives him money for new
  glasses, implication is that Colums sin will be
  compounded he will be forced to tell mother
  another lie to explain how he has acquired money
  for new glasses. Colum is now complicit in
  covering up secret of Father Lynchs alcoholism.

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The Beginnings of a Sin by Bernard MacLaverty

• Theme naivety and loss of innocence
• At start, Colum unaware of Father Lynchs
  alcoholism. Thinks Father Lynch so nervous and
  fingers trembling during Mass due to holiness
  and awe of the sacrament of communion what a
  frightening thing it must be to hold Christs
  actual flesh.
• Fails to understand woman on doorstep saying
  Father Lynch wont be wanting to win it
  outright when first prize is food hamper but
  second is whisky and sherry.
• Even when he sees Father Lynch drunk, doesnt
  understand why eyes looked very heavy and he was
  blinking a lot and Colum smelt a smell like
  altar wine.
• Once glasses are broken, Colum finally
  understands that priest is habitually drunk
  housekeeper exhorts him to say a wee prayer for
  himhes in bad need of it.
• Colum is shocked at this revelation knees were
  like water and his stomach full of wind. Mother
  says he is as white as a sheet when he gets
  home.

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The Beginnings of a Sin by Bernard MacLaverty

• Theme sin
• Lying is a sin, according to principles of
  Catholic faith. Story suggests that sin becomes
  compounded.
• Colum sins by telling a lie to his mother to
  conceal fact that priest broke his expensive
  glasses.
• Colum sins by accepting money that can be
  construed as bribe from Father Lynch who checks
  that Colum has not divulged secret Did you
  mention it to your mother? and Are you sure? To
  anyone?
• Drinking alcohol is not considered a sin in
  Catholicism but Father Lynchs covering it up is
  tantamount to lying, which is a sin.
• Father Lynch sins by bribing Colum with money for
  new glasses in exchange for Colums silence.
• Father Lynch sins further by trying to blackmail
  Colum into silence as well, playing on boys
  feelings about deceased father, by saying I
  knew your father wellYou remind me of him a
  lot.

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The Beginnings of a Sin by Bernard MacLaverty

• Symbolism and Irony narrative techniques to
  convey theme
• Colums glasses when unbroken symbolise his
  naivety and innocence. He can see physically but
  cant see in sense of understanding what is wrong
  with Father Lynch.
• Irony used in conjunction with symbolism to
  emphasise Colums ignorance of priests
  alcoholism Father Lynch uses simile You look
  like a wee owl. Glasses magnify Colums eyes,
  making them appear big, like owl, renowned for
  excellent eyesight. Seems he should see what
  problem is but ironically doesnt.
• Colums glasses when broken symbolise his loss of
  innocence He could only half see through
  broken lens but sees clearly now, in sense of
  understanding, that Father Lynch is a drunkard.
• Ironic that Colum can see all too clearly what
  priests problem is only at point when he cant
  physically see properly through glasses.

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The Beginnings of a Sin by Bernard MacLaverty

• Father Lynchs priestly vestments symbolise
  concealment of his alcoholism. Author describes
  five different items of clothing he puts on
  before Mass amicewhite albcincturestolechasu
  ble. Priest then tells Colum, Normally when
  people wear beautiful things it is to make their
  personality stand out. With a priest it is the
  opposite. He wears so much to hide himself.
  Layers of clothing symbolise concealment,
  secrets, covering up the truth.
• When Father Lynchs secret is revealed to Colum,
  author describes him as wearing an ordinary
  mans collarless shirt, open at the neck. This
  symbolises that priest is a mere mortal despite
  outward trappings of priestly role, with ordinary
  mans flaws, failings. Shirt is collarless in
  contrast to priests distinctive dog collar.
  Open neck symbolises secret coming out into the
  open, revealed to Colum at last. So ordinary
  clothes symbolise revelation of secret.