Gran Character Analysis in If I Stay

Gran is Dad’s mother. She and Mia’s grandfather, Gramps, live near Mia’s family, and are very involved in their lives. Gran is a perpetually positive person who loves to garden and believes that deceased family members become angels that are reincarnated into birds, sent to watch over her and her family. Mia is inspired by Gran’s past—as a young girl from Massachusetts, Gran decided to begin a new life in the Northwest and moved alone to Oregon, where she met Mia’s grandfather. Gran loves that her son and his family are so involved in music, and also works to support Mia’s talent and passion for the cello.

Gran Character Timeline in If I Stay

The timeline below shows where the character Gran appears in If I Stay. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...dead yet, since her mother and father haven’t come for her. She wonders if her Gran and Gramps—who were expecting the family for dinner—or Kim knows what has happened. As the... (full context)

...operating room, and discovers her grandparents (her father’s parents) in a waiting area. Her grandmother, Gran, is chatting away, a hallmark of her anxiety, while her grandfather, Gramps, expresses his grief... (full context)

In a flashback, Mia recalls that it was Gran’s idea that she audition for Juilliard. An independent woman from a young age, Gran moved... (full context)

Gran had planned to take Mia to her Juilliard audition in San Francisco herself, but she... (full context)

...her alive, and nurses check on her in a constant rotation. A social worker tells Gran and Gramps that Mia is in “grave condition,” and that she is in a coma... (full context)

...whether or not she suffered brain damage until she wakes up. The social worker invites Gran and Gramps to come visit Mia in her hospital room. (full context)

Though Mia knows Gran and Gramps to be tough people, both of them pause when they see the extent... (full context)

After visiting Mia in the ICU, Gran and Gramps discuss whether it is true that Mia will be the one to decide... (full context)

...ICU in stable condition. Willow convinces the nurses to let Mia’s grandparents visit her. While Gran is as chatty as ever and tells Mia all of the family news, Gramps looks... (full context)

As Mia listens to Gran drone on, she thinks about how nice it would be to fall asleep to the... (full context)

Eventually Gran and Willow leave the ICU, leaving Mia with Gramps, who cries over Mia’s body. He... (full context)

...been witness to due to her out-of-body experience. Kim’s chatty demeanor calms Mia, just like Gran’s talking had soothed her the day before. (full context)

...about. Mia wonders if perhaps she was present at these events, like the angels that Gran believes in. She knows that if she decides to go, she will want to retain... (full context)