Disse sobre si mesmo, foi usado como uma declaração de remorso e vergonha; a idéia é que você é vigiado por seus antepassados, e nunca deve fazer nada para envergonhá-los - ter esquecido que o rosto de seu pai pode ser considerado curto para esquecer que ele está sempre observando você. Disse sobre outra pessoa, isso indicava que eles deveriam sentir tanta vergonha.
Robin Furth (que foi assistente de pesquisa de King, e escreveu a Concordância da Torre Negra - um excelente trabalho se você é fã da Torre Negra, ou Rei em geral) disse o seguinte na Concordância:
To a man who belonged to the tet of the gun, losing his life was preferable to losing his honor, since loss of honor reflected not just on himself but on all of his male ancestors. Among gunslingers, the saying “I have forgotten the face of my father” was the ultimate statement of remorse.
e, mais tarde
I HAVE FORGOTTEN THE FACE OF MY FATHER: This is a term often used by Roland. It is a phrase of shame. When one has forgotten the face of one’s father, it means that one has behaved dishonorably. Mid-World is patriarchal, a cultural structure that is older than either the aristocracy of gunslingers (the Barons of Mid-World), or the kingship of Arthur Eld. When Eddie and Susannah visit the Cradle of Lud, they see the sculpted visages of “stern men with the harsh faces of executioners who are happy in their work” (III:343). We do not know whether these men were judges, justices, politicians, or legendary forefathers, but their sculpted faces, somehow reminiscent of busts of Roman senators, tell us something about both the pride and the unrelenting harshness of the Great Old Ones. Like the Romans, or our own culture, they were guilty of hubris. I:97
Isso se correlaciona com uma entrada posterior:
I SWEAR ON THE FACE OF MY FATHER: I swear upon all I hold sacred. VI:188
E, talvez, a imagem mais evocativa:
REMEMBER THE FACE OF YOR FATHER. HE WATCHES YOU FROM THE CLEARING: Remain honorable because your ancestors are watching you. W:285