Prayer By Louis Rivera Analysis

The story is about a young boy recounting the day of his first communion. The boy is the central character or rather the protagonist of the story. He is also the narrator. The boys’ name is not mentioned in the story, so the working assumption is that the boy is Thomas, the writer himself. What became clear as I read through the story, was this was more than a simple retelling of the events that day but, really a judgement on the catholic faith in its’ tradition of Communion and the duty of confession, and the impact that this duty or obligation can have on a young child. The story is full anecdotal moments that will bring the reader back to their childhood days, and remember how innocent a child’s ‘mind is during their youth. Those moments help underscore the dislike and apprehension that Tomas Rivera might have for some of the customs of the catholic
It is this point which Tomas Rivera wanted to convey. Let’s begin with how the story describes the pressure that the faith has on the young boy. The story does a very good job of explaining the pressure and anxiety one feels when first receiving Holy Communion, especially for someone who has been raised in the in the Catholic church. The boy recounts how there was a picture of hell over his bed laced there by his mother, and how that picture was a driving factor in wanting salvation, as to avoid going to hell “Also, my mother had placed a picture of hell above the head of my bed and, because the room was covered in phantasmagorical pictures and because I wanted to save myself from all evil, I thought only of this picture.” (Kanellos, 1995, p. 97). The notion of suffering and punishment for not being a good catholic is driven home to the kid and is a general staple of Catholicism;