# Silas Deemer — Can Such Things Be? character guide

> Silas Deemer in Can Such Things Be? by Ambrose Bierce.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Silas, Deemer, the late Silas Deemer

**First appearance:** 0074-the-difficulty-of-crossing-a-field

## Snapshot

A dead storekeeper who returns to his old shop, visible behind the counter to a crowd of townsfolk, quietly attending to his account book.

## Who they are

Deemer is a well-known village merchant whose death and burial are followed by reports of his ghost appearing in the closed store, lit by an eerie glow. The townspeople gather to watch, at first mocking, then silent as the apparition goes about its business. His return is not vengeful but eerily mundane, and the child's innocent mention of the jug he left behind suggests a haunting tied to unfinished matters. He embodies the collection's quiet, unsettling take on the supernatural.

## Relationships

### [Alvan Creede](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/can_such_things_be_se/characters/alvan_creede)

_rivalry_

Alvan Creede and Silas Deemer are enemies, locked in a bitter feud over a disputed inheritance.

### [Janette Harford](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/can_such_things_be_se/characters/janette_harford)

_family_

Janette Harford is Silas Deemer's daughter, and their relationship is cold and distant due to his dark secrets.

### [Alvan Creede](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/can_such_things_be_se/characters/alvan_creede)

_rivalry_

Alvan Creede and Silas Deemer are enemies, locked in a bitter feud over a disputed inheritance.

## In the story

### [A Jug of Syrup](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/can_such_things_be_se/chapters/a-jug-of-syrup)

The deceased merchant who returns as a ghost to his store, attempting to resume business.

### [Some Haunted Houses](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/can_such_things_be_se/chapters/some-haunted-houses)

A deceased man whose ghostly presence haunts his former home.

### [Bodies of the Dead](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/can_such_things_be_se/chapters/bodies-of-the-dead)

His corpse is a key element in the story of the dead returning to life.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/can_such_things_be_se/characters/silas_deemer
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/can_such_things_be_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/can_such_things_be_se/characters