The grandfather

The grandfather is the main character of the story “Flight” by Doris Lessing. He is unnamed, as if the most important part of his existence is that of being a father and a grandfather, a protector for the women in his life.

The author does not provide a physical description of this character, but the readers can guess that he is an old man, whose youngest granddaughter is eighteen years old. He is living with his daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter. It is unclear if the old man’s wife is also living with them, as there is only a vague mention of a grandmother throughout the story. The grandfather also grows pigeons.

The grandfather’s actions reveal that he likes to keep the things he loves close. This is seen for example, from how he locks his fa...