Brian Rohrbough Character Analysis in Columbine

Danny Rohrbough’s father. Awash in anger after his son’s death, Brian removes the crosses dedicated to the shooters which are erected at a makeshift memorial for all the victims of Columbine. When families of the victims receive their settlements, Brian pushes back, appalled by the “criminal[ly]” small payments made to teachers and insistent upon the symbolic weight of the settlements’ values. He eventually becomes president of Colorado Right to Life, and submits for his quotation to be included in the permanent Columbine memorial “an angry rant blaming [the shooting] on a godless school system in a nation that legalized abortion,” and which ends with the biblical quote “There is no peace for the wicked.” Though the committee has the power to stop the quote from being included, they do not—“nothing trump[s] a grieving dad.”

Brian Rohrbough Character Timeline in Columbine

The timeline below shows where the character Brian Rohrbough appears in Columbine. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Religion: Escapism, Evangelism, Opportunism Theme Icon

...at the rendezvous point at the nearby Leawood Elementary, parents are both joyful and discouraged. Brian Rohrbough , father of Danny Rohrbough, abandons hope, but Misty Bernall—who has been reunited with her... (full context)

Brian Rohrbough receives a phone call Wednesday morning from a friend, warning him that there is a... (full context)

...bodies returned to them. Heroic but false tales of the victims’ bravery begin to spread— Brian Rohrbough is “irritated” by the narratives, believing that his son’s death was “tragic enough.” (full context)

...While many come and decorate the crosses of the victims, the killers’ crosses are defaced. Brian Rohrbough was livid about the killers’ crosses, and “affixed each one with a sign saying ‘Murderers... (full context)

...done, and is busy trying to keep ahead of any more aftershocks. As angry parents— Brian Rohrbough , in particular—continue to blame the school administration for the killings, Mr. D develops a... (full context)

...of the thirteen families was given a space to include an inscription in the memorial. Brian Rohrbough ’s quotation was “an angry rant blaming Columbine on a godless school system in a... (full context)