When comparing works of the same author, especially in the same media, you can learn much about that author's style, characterization, bias and even background. Alistair MacLeod presents many similarities in his short stories, including a love for Eastern Canada, which can be based on his background of living in Cape Breton on a family farm. It is easier to give a more informed critical assessment of an author's work if you have numerous works by the same author that you can compare it to. From reading "The Return" and "The Golden Gift of Grey" we can analyze "The Lost Salt Gift of Blood" more fairly and critically than without prior knowledge of Alistair MacLeod's other accomplishments.
             "The Lost Salt Gift of Blood", "The Return" and "The Golden Gift of Grey" have many similarities concerning their themes and story structures. The most noticeable similarity between the three is their element of family and sacrifices made by those families. In "The Lost Salt Gift of Blood" the protagonist sacrifices his chance to have a relationship with his son so the boy can stay with his grandparents who have been the only family he has known. Instead of pulling him out of his life in St. Johns to move to a large city, the narrator doesn't disclose his paternity to his son so that he may live a happy life with his grandparents. "'Thank you,' says the woman. 'I don't know if you
             know what I mean but thank you.'" ("The Lost Salt Gift of Blood", p. 70). Instead of deciding not to move their children, "The Return" and "The Golden Gift of Grey" have even closer similarities when one or more family members relocate to provide a greater, (or perhaps different), opportunity for their children. In "The Golden Gift of Grey" the protagonist's parents moved from Kentucky to northern Amer...