Firstborn by Larry Woiwode
"Firstborn" is a poignant narrative by Larry Woiwode that explores the complexities of marriage, guilt, and forgiveness through the lens of its protagonist, Charles. The story unfolds during a critical moment as Charles reads to his laboring wife, Katherine, drawing parallels to Tolstoy's "War and Peace." This literary backdrop not only enriches the emotional landscape but also foreshadows the tumultuous journey ahead for the couple.
As Katherine prepares to give birth to their first child, Nathaniel, the narrative delves into a web of past grievances, including Katherine’s confession of an affair that complicates their relationship. Following a violent outburst from Charles, the tension escalates as they confront the impending birth and the loss that follows when Nathaniel dies shortly after delivery.
In the aftermath, Charles grapples with his own infidelity and feels the weight of his actions echo in a chance encounter with an older woman, prompting a reckoning with his guilt. The story culminates years later, where Charles reflects on his marriage and the journey towards forgiveness for both himself and Katherine, revealing the resilience of their bond amidst the shadows of their past. "Firstborn" thus serves as a deep exploration of human relationships and the path to redemption.
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Firstborn by Larry Woiwode
First published: 1982
Type of plot: Domestic realism
Time of work: The early to mid-1960's
Locale: New York City
Principal Characters:
Charles , a father-to-be and a radio advertising executiveKatherine , his wife, a mother-to-beNathaniel , their firstbornHarner , Katherine's obstetrician
The Story
"Firstborn" opens as Charles, the protagonist, is reading from Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace (1886) to his wife, Katherine, who is in labor. She has fallen asleep, but he continues to read. He reads the part in which Pierre, realizing his feelings for Natasha, goes out under the Moscow skies and sees the comet of 1812, "a comet that is supposed to portend all sorts of disasters but for him speaks 'his own softened and uplifted soul, now blossoming into a new life.'" This quotation from War and Peace foreshadows the course of the story.
As Katherine sleeps, Charles thinks about their marriage four months earlier. She had been pregnant by then, and he had assumed that the child was his. Later, she confessed that there had been a relationship with another man but that the child was Charles's, that she would not have married him if it were not. At first, he considered divorce but could not go through with it. Then followed a period of turmoil in their marriage. Finally, two weeks ago, as they were leaving a party, his anger had risen and he had impulsively kicked her and sent her sprawling on the icy sidewalk.
Now, although she is only seven months along in her pregnancy, Katherine is about to give birth. The contractions become more severe, and they leave for the hospital. The events leading to the birth and subsequent death of Nathaniel, their firstborn, follow. Later, after hearing that the child has died, Charles goes to a bar while Katherine lies alone in her hospital bed. Charles, during a chance meeting with Aggie, an aged prostitute, faces what he had previously avoided: He, too, had been having an affair. He hears "a faint whisper at his ear, Murderer. You'll never quit paying for this."
The final section of the story indicates that this incident is being related from the future, from the vantage point of several years and four children. The marriage has survived, but it is only at this point that Charles is finally released from his guilt and "freed into forgiveness, for himself, first, then for her, the rest falling into place."
Bibliography
Connaughton, Michael E. "Larry Woiwode." In American Novelists Since World War II, edited by James E. Kibler, Jr. Detroit: Gale Research, 1980.
Dickson, Morris. "Flight into Symbolism." The New Republic 160 (May 3, 1969): 28.
Gardner, John. Review of Beyond the Bedroom Wall, by Larry Woiwode. The New York Times Book Review 125 (September 28, 1975): 1-2.
Gasque, W. Ward. Review of Acts, by Larry Woiwode. Christianity Today, March 7, 1994, 38.
Marx, Paul. "Larry (Alfred) Woiwode." In Contemporary Novelists, edited by James Vinson. 3d ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1982.
O'Hara, Barbara. Review of What I Think I Did, by Larry Woiwode. Library Journal, June 1, 2000, 128.
Pesetsky, Bette. Review of Born Brothers, by Larry Woiwode. The New York Times Book Review 93 (August 4, 1988): 13-14.
Prescott, Peter S. "Home Truths." Newsweek 86 (September 29, 1975): 85-86.
Woiwode, Larry. "An Interview with Larry Woiwode." Christianity and Literature 29 (1979): 11-18.
Woiwode, Larry. "An Interview with Larry Woiwode." Interview by Ed Block, Jr. Renascence: Essays on Values in Literature 44, no. 1 (Fall, 1991): 17-30.
Woiwode, Larry. "Interview with Woiwode." Interview by Shirley Nelson. The Christian Century, January 25, 1995, 82.
Woiwode, Larry. "Where the Buffalo Roam: An Interview with Larry Woiwode." Interview by Rick Watson. North Dakota Quarterly 63, no. 4 (Fall, 1996): 154-166.