Distance and Alienation
Geographical and personal distance are key to Alistair MacLeod’s “The Lost Salt Gift of Blood,” in which the narrator journeys 2,500 miles to Newfoundland to see his son John. The narrator fathered John while visiting the village as a graduate student, but hasn’t seen him since. As he awkwardly attempts to reconnect with John, MacLeod illustrates that emotional alienation cannot be resolved by closing a geographical gap. In charting the narrator’s failure to meaningfully…
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Cultural Heritage and Identity
Though cultural differences can be alienating, “The Lost Salt Gift of Blood” suggests heritage can also be a positive force that unites people. For instance, the relationship between John and his grandparents is founded partly on their intergenerational heritage, and they process the loss of John’s mother Jennifer through references to local folklore and song. In this story, heritage and tradition have the ability to unite people with a common history and to help people…
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The Passage of Time
In “The Lost Salt Gift of Blood,” journeys are almost always futile and doomed to failure, whether in the case of a local dog being unable to find a stick or the narrator being unable to connect with his son after traveling 2,500 miles to see him. MacLeod focuses particularly on the inevitable journey through time, passing from youth to age. Although the story suggests that growing older leads to loss and sorrow, it ultimately…
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