No Great Mischief

In these three chapters, Alex explores his connection with the country where he lives. He regularly drives long distances to visit Calum, who has been geographically displaced from the Cape Breton. This dislocation is portrayed in tandem with Calum’s suffering and the long journeys which the characters undertake—to return home after visiting Calum, sitting in an airport, and going to collect an American cousin—all end in minor tragedies. They are all difficult journeys. In the present, the long drive forces Alex to come to terms with his brother’s condition and the terrible conditions of the fruit pickers. For Catherine, the fleeting connection she makes with a distant relative is severed, leaving her only with a minor social faux pas. In the past, Calum and Alex drive a long distance after a long shift, an act which saps their energy. Although they do not know it yet, they are bringing about Calum’s eventual destruction.

In a similar act of foreshadowing, the character of Fern Picard is steadily introduced into the novel. As one of the chief antagonists of clann Chalum Ruaidh, the French-Canadian man’s rivalry with Calum will drastically escalate. This rivalry is juxtaposed with Alex’s relationship with Marcel, which is one of mutually beneficial education and friendship. In this respect, Alex is different from his brother. While Calum is locked in a blood feud with one French-Canadian man, Alex seems willing to cross the cultural divide and befriends Marcel. The continued differences between Alex and his brother denote the vast differences that can exist within families; even though they are both of the clann Chalum Ruaidh, Alex and Calum and irrecoverably different people.