Absolution (short story)
Absolution is a short story by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was included in his 1926 collection All the Sad Young Men.
Publication
"Absolution" was originally published in The American Mercury in June, 1924. The story would later be published in Fitzgerald's third short story collection All the Sad Young Men in 1926.
Background
Fitzgerald began writing "Absolution" in June, 1923. In a letter to Maxwell Perkins, Fitzgerald stated that it was originally intended to be the prologue of his later novel The Great Gatsby, but that it "interrupted with the neatness of the plan". In 1934, Fitzgerald wrote in a letter to a fan that the story was intended to show Gatsby's early life, but was cut to preserve his "sense of mystery".
Plot Overview
"Absolution", narrated in the third person, focuses on a young boy named Rudolph Miller, who often fantasizes about a self-created alter ego called Blatchford Sarnemington. Rudolph, an eleven-year-old Catholic, attends a confession with Father Schwartz. Rudolph describes what he believes is a terrible sin he committed. In a flashback, Rudolph lies to Father Schwartz in a previous confession. Rudolph also gets in trouble with his father when he attempts to avoid communion by drinking water before. After telling Father Schwartz about these two instances, Father Schwartz collapses and a startled Rudolph flees.
