FREE ESSAY ON AT HOME IN MITFORD

AT HOME IN MITFORD

At Home in Mitford
Jan Karon
Matt Grant
For credit in
Honors English IV
February 2, 2000
Composition 4-2
No information was found on the author except for the conclusions that were drawn from
the picture on the back of the novel. Jan Karon looks to be in her mid-sixties, and seems
to be a strong Christian women from her writing style used in the novel.
Jan Karon's At Home in Mitford, is set in Mitford, North Carolina in present time.
Father Tim is the main character in the novel. He is the rector at The Lord's Chapel in
Mitford. He is a sixty year old friensly man who devotes his time to his church, the
members of the church, and his dog, Barnabas. He is a simple man that likes his simple
life.
Next is Emma, who is Father Tim's secretary at the church. She is a middle-aged, nosy
sort of woman. She is a gossip, a snoop, and very finicky, but an overall nice and caring
person. 
Mrs. Sadie is a ninety year old Georgia peach. She always brings apples and pies to
Father Tim and others. Her family was very wealthy, therfore she owned half of the county
in apple orchards. She is a very sweet,old, Christian lady.
Dooley is an orphan girl who moves in with Father Tim. She is a teenage tomboy who
instantly befriends the rector and constantly bugs him.
Mitford is the ideal small town. Nesteled between mountain ranges, and overlooking
beautiful, rolling, foothills, it is the type of town where you could fall asleep
anywhere. Crime and trash were not thought of, only chocolate chip cookies from mattie
baxter's bakery. It was the type of town where everybody owns a flower garden. The town
contained one grocery store, one clothes shop, one bakery, and all other buissesness were
on the same block.
Father tim was the perfect rector for such a town. He is a jolly old man who never met a
stranger, never married, and had a set pattern according to the day of the week. One
could only imagine how a sixty year old, simple man would feel when a huge two hundred
pound wolf hound dog falls in love with him out of nowhere and would not let him out of
sight. Father Tim first saw the dog when he was tackled by the running mut early one
morning. The rector had never liked dogs and would not dare consider owning one. But
something happened when the dog, soon to be named Barnabas, sat completely still while
Father Tim recited his latest sermon, the only thing that he could think to say when the
dog would not stop licking him. The two instantly bacame sort of fascinated with each
other, and were instantly bound for life.
Owning a dog was a big deal