The grandmother

One of the main characters of the short story “Green Velvet” by Krzysztof Pelc is the narrator’s grandmother. Her name is not mentioned, but she is called “mamani” by her grandsons. Physically, she is “a short compact woman of the likes you didn’t see around, dressed always in black” (p. 3, ll. 86-87). She immigrated to Canada a decade before (p. 3, ll. 84-86), with the help of her son.

The narrator’s grandmother comes to lunch every Sunday (p. 3, l. 84), which shows that she is a traditional woman. She maintains her connection to the past and wants to pass it to the newer generation, but her demands are seen as “torments” (p. 3, l. 91) by her grandsons, who are forced to read, memorize, and recite Persian poetry every week. 

The narrator describes his grandmother as a difficult woman: “It was ...