Describe the grandfather. What do we learn about him? What kind of a man is he?

November 23, 1991

Charlie details his holiday experience with his mother's family members, who fight constantly over the Thanksgiving weekend. As Charlie says, he is fascinated that "everyone loves each other, but no one really likes each other." Recalling a past Thanksgiving, Charlie explains how he and his brother once had to drive his drunk grandfather, a consistent troublemaker, back to the retirement home. In the car, the grandfather told a story about beating Charlie's mother and Aunt Helen after they had received C- grades on their report cards. Charlie struggles to process the story and its meaning: is it better to have your kids be happy or to make sure they go to college? Is it better to have a good relationship with your children or to make sure they have a better life than you do? Because Charlie didn't know what to say on that occasion, he stayed quiet and watched his grandfather, trying to take it all in.