Mrs. Res Grier

Called "Mother" by the narrator, Mrs. Grier is the wife of a farmer and the mother of two sons, one of whom, Pete Grier, dies in combat in April 1942. In this story about men at war (including her grandfather and brother, who fought in the Civil war and World War I, respectively), Faulkner uses her as the voice of sympathy, wisdom and resilient patriotism - though when she consoles Major de Spain over the loss of his son, the voice we hear sounds more like Faulkner's: "All men are capable of shame. . . . Just as all men are capable of courage and honor and sacrifice. And grief too. It will take time, but they will learn it. It will take more grief than yours and mine, and there will be more. But it will be enough" (108).