The father

There is little outer characterisation of Pangma-La’s father in “The Shining Mountain” by Alison Fell, as the story focuses more on his inner characterisation, especially in relation to his daughter. However, we do know that he is a famous mountaineer.

His inner characterisation is presented mostly through Pangma-La’s perspective, as well through third-person narration. The short story begins with an introductory sentence for both the main character and her father: “Once there was a Scottish girl with a strange name and father who was always on television” (p. 18, ll. 1-2). We then learn that he is quite an absent father, away from home a lot because of his career as a mountaineer.

The father considers mountains and mountaineering as symbols of strength and pride and even named his daughter ...