The Lost Salt Gift of Blood Characters

The narrator is a middle-aged man living in the American Midwest, who fathered John eleven years ago while in Newfoundland as a graduate student, collecting local folklore. He is successful, intelligent, and well-educated, versed in… read analysis of The Narrator

John is the narrator’s eleven-year-old son, who has spent almost all of his life in rural Newfoundland with his maternal grandparents. He is a cheerful, well-adjusted boy, enthusiastic about fishing—catching trout with his friends… read analysis of John

Ira, referred to as “the old man” and “the grandfather” throughout the story, is the father of the narrator’s old lover Jennifer and John’s grandfather. He supports his wife and John by fishing, and is… read analysis of The Grandfather (Ira)

John’s unnamed grandmother, Ira’s wife and Jennifer’s mother, speaks very little in the story, but plays an important role in the contrast drawn between John’s relationship with his biological parents and with his adoptive family… read analysis of The Grandmother

When the narrator first meets John, he is fishing with a group of other boys in the harbor, all of whom live in the village and attend two local schools. The narrator attempts to… read analysis of John’s Friends

At the end of the story, the narrator encounters a heavy-equipment salesman on his flight from Newfoundland back to “the heartland.” When the flight lands, the narrator watches as the salesman is happily reunited with… read analysis of The Salesman