While the relationship Alexander had with Calum was not always consistent due to their different childhoods, Grandfather was a constant figure in Alexander’s life. Grandfather was always trying to make the world “right” and in doing so acted as a teacher to Alexander about the history of the MacDonald family. Grandfather never stopped informing Alexander of their ancestors’ life stories and even on Alexander’s graduation had to use to library to find out the truth about “Wolfe and the Highlanders at Quebec, on the Plains of Abraham” (108) and how Wolfe was “[j]ust using them for his own goals” (108). Grandfather thought that every piece of history was important to know and had to research all accounts of an event to find out what really happened. After gathering those acts, Grandfather would then be quick to share …show more content…
Grandfather created as a gift to congratulate Alexander on his graduation “a hand-carved chess set which must have taken him a very long time to complete” (118) as well as “a hand-carved plaque bearing the coat of arms and the motto of the MacDonald” (118). This gift is directly related to the heritage of Alexander’s family and celebrates both his graduation and the history of his family at the same time. The plaque will serve as a reminder of Alexander’s accomplishments as well as where he came from no matter where he goes in the future. Only Grandfather could create such a detailed piece and the project combines both his love of family and his passion for woodworking into one project. As long as Alexander has these gifts, he will be able to remember his Grandfather and his heritage for the rest of his life. The close relationship that Alexander has with Grandfather allows him to appreciate the hard work that went into the gifts as well as the significance of the motto as a connection to