Unearthing Women’s Charisms and Patriarchal Prejudices in Flannery O’Connor’s ‘The Comforts of Home’

Abstract

This paper examines a charismatic nameless female protagonist (known as Thomas’s mother) in a patriarchal domestic setting. in Flannery O’Connor’s ‘The Comforts of Home’. O’Conner seeks to expose the trail of patriarchal prejudices sparked off by Thomas towards Sarah Ham, the fallen feminine figure who took refuge under the caring motherly wings of his mother. Thomas’s mother was able to accentuate her caring motherly nature which complemented her noble virtues of generosity, Christ like compassion and courageous streak of independence where she found immense meaning and profound sense of happiness as a woman. In breaking away from the suffocating structures of patriarchy, Thomas’s mother was not strictly tied or conformed to patriarchal stereotypical traits bestowed on women as it was crucial for her to discover her own identity while exercising and utilizing their skills, talents and potential to the fullest. Besides that, this paper also dwells on the heart wrenching struggles faced by Sarah Ham who was drown in an oppressive patriarchal world dictated by Thomas, a highly inflamed misogynist male.