The father

The narrator’s father is another main character in the short story “Green Velvet” by Krzysztof Pelc. He is married and has two sons, the narrator – who was born in Iran – and Reza – who was born in Canada. The narrator implies that his father is a mathematician (p. 1, ll. 21-22), which was one of the most common jobs for Iranian immigrants of his generation. 

The narrator’s father is a cautious and analytical man. When he first sees the green velvet sofa, he examines it carefully and eventually agrees to take it home:

He considered the sofa the way a farmer considers a neighbour’s cow. Finally, he took some hesitant steps back and sat on one end of it himself, with greater caution than my brother, and we cheered. It was a grand morning. (p. 1, ll. 14-17)

Although the narra...