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Coraline’s Father/Mr. Jones
Coraline’s other father is the version of her real father who exists in the other mother’s realm. Coraline’s other father is, at first, a sunnier, warmer version of her own father whose presence Coraline enjoys. However, when the other father offers Coraline the chance to stay in their world forever—if she sews black buttons onto her face in place of her eyes—Coraline balks at the offer and returns to her own world. After she realizes her parents are missing, she goes back to the other mother’s world once more in hopes of finding them—and, upon her return, realizes that things there are deteriorating quickly. The other father has, by Coraline’s second morning in the other mother’s world, begun to look vague and dough-like; he reveals answers to the questions she asks about the other mother’s whereabouts and her construction of the world parallel to Coraline’s, but upon realizing he’s said too much, his face goes blank and he shuts down. The next time Coraline sees the other father, he is all but unrecognizable—as she goes into the empty flat next door to search for one of the lost children’s souls, she encounters a terrible grublike creature in the flat’s cellar whom she soon recognizes as the other father, returned to his original state. The other father apologizes to Coraline for being unable to help her—and unable to resist the other mother’s directive to harm Coraline. Coraline escapes the other father—or what’s left of him—just as he turns on her. A miserable, spineless creature completely under the other mother’s control, the other father is an example of just how powerful the other mother truly is.
The Other Father Quotes in Coraline
The Coraline quotes below are all either spoken by The Other Father or refer to The Other 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:
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Chapter 3 Quotes
“Coraline?” the woman said. “Is that you?”
And then she turned around. Her eyes were big black buttons.
“Lunchtime, Coraline,” said the woman.
“Who are you?” asked Coraline.
“I’m your other mother,” said the woman. “Go and tell your other father that lunch is ready,” She opened the door of the oven. Suddenly Coraline realized how hungry she was. It smelled wonderful.
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When Coraline goes through a mysterious, previously-locked door in the corner of her new flat’s drawing room, she finds herself traversing a long dark hallway which leads to another flat—a flat that is an exact mirror of her own home. Inside there is an “other mother” and an “other father” who closely resemble Coraline’s own parents but for one major difference: the “other” parents have large black buttons for eyes. As Coraline adjusts to this strange new parallel world she’s uncovered, Gaiman introduces several of the novel’s major symbols and themes. Coraline, who has been uncomfortable in and uncertain about Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum
[Coraline’s] other parents stood in the kitchen doorway as she walked down the corridor, smiling identical smiles, and waving slowly. “Have a nice time outside,” said her other mother.
“We’ll just wait here for you to come back,” said her other father.
When Coraline got to the front door, she turned back and looked at them. They were still watching her, and waving, and smiling.
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In the real world, Coraline’s parents are frequently busy with work and have little time to play with her or even pay her much passing attention at all. In this realm, however, her other mother and other father are downright obsessed with her. They’re constantly talking to Coraline, touching her, or observing her from afar. In this passage, as Coraline grows increasingly uncomfortable with the atmosphere in her other house and decides to go out exploring to escape for a while, her other parents watch her head into the woods. Coraline is beginning to realize that while she thought she Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta
Chapter 4 Quotes
The three of them walked back up to Coraline’s other house together. Coraline’s other mother stroked Coraline’s hair with her long white fingers. Coraline shook her head.
“Don’t do that,” said Coraline.
Her other mother took her hand away.
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This passage expands upon the ideas introduced in the previous chapter by showing how the longer Coraline stays in the other mother’s world, the more physically and emotionally possessive the other mother becomes. Though the other mother claims to be a benevolent presence who loves Coraline and exists only to dote upon her, the other mother’s behavior is rapidly demonstrating that her real intentions are contrary to the ones she professes. The other mother wants to possess and perhaps even feed upon Coraline—her predatory body language, hypervigilance, and repeated insistence that Coraline verbalize her love for and loyalty to her Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit e
“If you want to stay,” said her other father, “there’s only one little thing we’ll have to do, so you can stay here for ever and always.”
They went into the kitchen. On a china plate on the kitchen table was a spool of black cotton, and a long silver needle, and, beside them, two large black buttons.
“I don’t think so,” said Coraline.
“Oh, but we want you to,” said her other mother. “We want you to stay. And it’s just a little thing.”
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In this passage, the other mother and other father attempt to coerce—or entice—Coraline into replacing her eyes with black buttons. The buttons that the other mother and all the creatures that populate her world wear instead of eyes are the novel’s central—and perhaps creepiest—symbol. The buttons’ practical use is never revealed. They may be hastily applied eyes meant to cover up the fact that the creatures who populate this world are unseeing and inhuman, or they may be devices of control. Because Coraline detects a presence in this world that is older and more powerful than the other mother, it's Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit u
Chapter 6 Quotes
“If you won’t even talk to me,” said Coraline, “I am going exploring.”
“No point,” said the other father. “There isn’t anywhere but here. This is all she made: the house, the grounds, and the people in the house. She made it and she waited.” Then he looked embarrassed and he put one finger to his lips again, as if he had just said too much.
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In this passage, Coraline speaks with her other father—who gives her some illicit information about the other mother’s motives and actions. The other father previously said something the other mother didn’t want him to about the key to the door between worlds the night before, and, in this passage, seems to have been punished for doing so by being transformed into a dulled, “doughy” version of himself. Even so, the other father seems unable to stop himself from offering Coraline helpful information in direct defiance of the other mother—to a certain point. This passage demonstrates several important things. It shows Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corru
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The Other Father Character Timeline in Coraline
The timeline below shows where the character The Other Father appears in Coraline. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 3
...and she explains that she’s Coraline’s “other mother.” She urges Coraline to fetch her “ other father ” for lunch. Coraline goes down the familiar hall towards her father’s study—the man she...
(full context)
...walks down the hall towards the front door, where she finds her other mother and other father waiting for her. They smile and wave at her and tell her to have a...
(full context)
Chapter 4
...Coraline’s other mother strokes Coraline’s hair. Coraline tells her to stop, and she does. Coraline’s other father asks if Coraline likes it in their world—Coraline says she does. Coraline’s other mother tells...
(full context)
Coraline’s other father tells her that if she wants to stay, she has to do one small, simple...
(full context)
Chapter 5
Coraline asks where her parents are—the other mother, gesturing towards the other father sitting in a nearby chair, insists Coraline has already found her parents. The other father...
(full context)
...rat quickly does so. Coraline asks why the other mother doesn’t have her own key— the other father answers her, explaining that there is only one key for only one door. The other...
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Chapter 6
...goes into the kitchen to find it empty. She walks down the hall to her other father ’s study and finds him sitting inert at the desk. Coraline asks where the other...
(full context)
Coraline says the other father told her that the other mother is trying to keep the cat out—the cat laughs...
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Chapter 9
...name, she becomes full of pity—she realizes this creature is what used to be her other father . Coraline asks the creature if her parents are down here, or perhaps one of...
(full context)
