Conor’s Father Character Analysis in A Monster Calls

Conor’s father and the ex-husband of Conor’s mother. Conor’s mother and father divorced when Conor was seven years old, and Conor explains that he barely remembers what it’s like to have a father in the house. Conor’s father now lives in America with his new wife, Stephanie, and a new baby. Conor’s father comes to visit when Conor’s mother ends up in the hospital. Conor is happy to see him—he enjoys being with his father and is comforted to have a parental figure to help take care of him and relieve him of some of his responsibility. However, even though it is clear that Conor’s father has good intentions, he is rather flaky. When Conor asks if he could live with his father in America instead of living with his grandmother, Conor’s father quickly makes excuses as to why Conor can’t live with him. Instead of trying to make his son’s life easier, he repeats several times that Conor will have to “be brave” in the coming weeks. Thus, in contrast to Conor’s grandmother, who insists on treating him like a child, Conor’s father’s lack of taking responsibility forces Conor to be even more of an adult.

Conor’s Father Quotes in A Monster Calls

The A Monster Calls quotes below are all either spoken by Conor’s Father or refer to Conor’s Father. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Death, Denial, and Acceptance Theme Icon

He’d told no one about the nightmare. Not his mum, obviously, but no one else either, not his dad in their fortnightly (or so) phone call, definitely not his grandma, and no one at school. Absolutely not.

Related Characters: Conor O’Malley, Conor’s Mother, Conor’s Father, Conor’s Grandmother, The Monster

Page Number and Citation: 1

Explanation and Analysis:

“We barely have room for the three of us, Con. Your grandma has a lot more money and space than we do. Plus, you’re in school here, your friends are here, your whole life is here. It would be unfair to just take you out of all that.”

“Unfair to who?” Conor asked.

His father sighed. “This is what I meant,” he said. “This is what I meant when I said you were going to have to be brave.”

Related Characters: Conor’s Father (speaker), Conor O’Malley (speaker), Conor’s Grandmother, Conor’s Mother

Page Number and Citation: 88

Explanation and Analysis:

His classmates kept their distance from him, too, like he was giving off a bad smell. He tried to remember if he’d talked to any of them since he’d arrived this morning. He didn’t think he had. Which meant he hadn’t actually spoken to anyone since his father that morning.

How could something like that happen?

But, finally, here was Harry. And that, at least, felt normal.

Related Characters: Conor O’Malley, Conor’s Father, Conor’s Mother, Conor’s Grandmother, Harry, Anton, Sully

Page Number and Citation: 125

Explanation and Analysis:

“Son,” his father said, leaning forward. “Stories don’t always have happy endings.”

This stopped him. Because they didn’t, did they? That’s one thing the monster had definitely taught him. Stories were wild, wild animals and went off in directions you couldn’t expect.

Related Characters: Conor’s Father (speaker), Conor O’Malley, Conor’s Mother, The Monster

Related Symbols: The Yew Tree

Page Number and Citation: 134

Explanation and Analysis:

Conor’s Father Character Timeline in A Monster Calls

The timeline below shows where the character Conor’s Father appears in A Monster Calls. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...too afraid to tell anyone about it—certainly not his mother, and not his grandmother or father either, and no one at school. He hears someone calling his name, a quiet whisper... (full context)

Conor thinks about a few important events that had happened in his life: his father leaving, the cat wandering off, the afternoon his mother said they needed to have a... (full context)

...arrives home to the house that he has always lived in. After his mother and father had divorced, and his father had moved to America, his mother only asked to keep... (full context)

...grandmother tells him sternly that the treatments aren’t working. She also tells Conor that his father is flying in on Sunday to visit. Conor’s father hadn’t visited from America since last... (full context)

...away from his house for the monster to visit. It is Sunday, the day his father is arriving. Conor’s grandmother has been driving Conor the 45 minutes to school every day,... (full context)

Conor’s grandmother leaves to go to the hospital while Conor waits for his father. He goes up to the “guest room,” which his grandmother insists on calling “his room.”... (full context)

...sitting room, but he settles in there to read his book while waiting for his father. He marvels at the pristine antiques that no one is allowed to touch. He realizes... (full context)

Conor and his father go out for pizza, and Conor’s notes that his father sounds more and more American... (full context)

Conor’s father invites Conor to visit him and his family in America for Christmas. Conor asks why... (full context)

Conor’s father argues that Conor’s grandmother has more money and space, and that it wouldn’t be fair... (full context)

Conor’s father drives Conor home after dinner. When Conor asks how long he’s staying, Conor’s father tells... (full context)

...“only of himself,” and who gets punished “very, very badly indeed.” Conor thinks of his father, and says that he is listening. (full context)

...have the nightmare, and woke up screaming. When he came downstairs in the morning, his father was making breakfast for him. His father said then that Conor’s mother has “taken a... (full context)

Conor had asked to go to the hospital too, but his father assured him that he would pick him up from school if he needed to. He... (full context)

...to cure his mother. Conor walks down the corridor and sees his grandmother and his father arguing. Conor asks what’s going on; his father says that he has to fly back... (full context)

Conor’s father takes Conor to a park across from the hospital. He tells Conor that the new... (full context)

Conor’s father says that “stories don’t always have happy endings,” which stops Conor in his tracks. Conor’s... (full context)

...either. Whenever he visits his mother, she’s often too tired to talk to him. His father calls occasionally, but he never has anything to say. The monster hasn’t returned since the... (full context)

A Monster Calls

Conor’s Father Character Analysis

Conor’s Father Quotes in A Monster Calls

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Conor’s Father Character Timeline in A Monster Calls