Well, the first reason is that back then, in Dante's time, "comedy" didn't really mean funny. In this case, it meant that even though the whole story/poem is full of despair and torture and torment, it actually ends with a happy ending. Back in Dante's era, this meant that instead of being a tragedy, this epic poem was considered a comedy. Consider Shakespeare's work Romeo and Juliet. It ends with the two young lovers dying, right? That is a tragedy. There is no happiness there. But at the end of Inferno, Dante the Pilgrim actually succeeds in his goals. <span />
The question is from James Baldwin's book, Notes of A Native Son and same-titled essay in the book. The author gives the details of his father's death and writes that his mother gave birth to one his sisters just before the father passed away. Therefore, the correct option is C.
