Language English Originally published 1965 Genre Southern Gothic | Publication date 1965 Country United States of America | |
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Published in Everything That Rises Must Converge Publication type single author anthology Similar Flannery O'Connor books, Other books | ||
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"The Comforts of Home" is a short story by Flannery O'Connor. It was written in 1960 and published in 1965 in her short story collection Everything That Rises Must Converge. A devout Roman Catholic, O'Connor often used religious themes in her work.
Contents
Plot summary
The main character is Thomas, a history writer who lives with his mother. His mother takes pity on Sarah Ham (who calls herself Star Drake), a young woman who has been arrested and jailed for passing bad checks. Thomas' mother hires an attorney to parole the girl and finds a boarding house where Sarah can live. After Sarah gets kicked out of the boarding house for drunkenness, Thomas’ mother invites the girl to live with them despite her son's objections. After various conflicts, during which Sarah seems to act flirtatiously toward Thomas, Thomas gets the sheriff to agree to remove her once he notices that his handgun is missing from his room. Before the sheriff arrives, Thomas notices that the gun has been returned. He decides to plant the gun in Sarah's purse in order to get her removed anyway, but while doing so, he ends up discharging the gun at Sarah while Thomas' mother jumps in front of her and is killed. The police arrive and arrest Thomas.