Child of God (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Cormac McCarthy
- First Published: 1973
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Social realism
- Time of Work: Early 1960’s
- Setting: Sevier County, Tennessee, in the Appalachian Mountains
- Principal Characters: Lester Ballard, Fate Turner, John Greer, Reubel
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism
- Subjects: 1960’s, Murder or homicide, South or Southerners, Rural or country life, Mental illness, Rape, Farms, farmers, or farming, Mountain life, Handicapped
- Locales: Sevier County, TN
The Story:
Under the supervision of Fate Turner, the high sheriff of Sevier County, a farm was being auctioned off for nonpayment of taxes. When the owner, Lester Ballard, threatened the auctioneer with a rifle, one of the men assembled at the auction hit Lester in the head with an ax and took him away. From that time on, Lester had difficulty holding up his head. The blow might also have affected his mind. Because of Lester’s behavior, many local people were afraid to bid on the land, and it went to John Greer, an outsider. Lester Ballard was determined to kill Greer.
...[The entire page is 1956 words long]
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