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“Borders” by Thomas King is a fictional story about the necessity for people to maintain their identities and ideals. Although King uses a physical border between the USA and Canada in his story, the metaphorical border he was expressing was the idea that individuals must stand up for their beliefs in order to maintain their identity.
King starts his story by establishing the mother’s explicit love for her land and quickly presents that she is “Blackfoot.” This helps the reader distinguish her identity. The mother hints that there is no need for her daughter to leave her homeland by referring to the coffee shop near the border, “It’s the water. From here on down, they get lousy water” (132.) This statement lays the foundation for how the mother views her origins and ultimately her identity.
The body of the story presents the most obvious example of the mother’s persistence to maintain her own identity. Her and her son spend a few days sleeping in their car, while being caught between the physical border that separates the USA and Canada; however it was the mothers unwavering attitude towards her identity that presented the situation. She continually repeated that she was “Blackfoot” (135), when simply stating that she was a Canadian citizen would have avoided the situation completely. This represents the absolute resolve the mother has about her own identity even when confronted by authority.
The ending of the story brings the situation to a close. After the media showed up the mother received her justice and was allowed to enter the USA while still maintaining her identity as “Blackfoot.” The guards simply replied, “Thank you” and “Have a pleasant trip (144). This confirms the underlying message of story; holding true to beliefs in the face of opposition is what establishes identity.
Ultimately the mother succeeded through her determination to maintain her identity and to not take the easy way out. Although the manner in which she decided to make her stand was unusual it was nonetheless effective.
King starts his story by establishing the mother’s explicit love for her land and quickly presents that she is “Blackfoot.” This helps the reader distinguish her identity. The mother hints that there is no need for her daughter to leave her homeland by referring to the coffee shop near the border, “It’s the water. From here on down, they get lousy water” (132.) This statement lays the foundation for how the mother views her origins and ultimately her identity.
The body of the story presents the most obvious example of the mother’s persistence to maintain her own identity. Her and her son spend a few days sleeping in their car, while being caught between the physical border that separates the USA and Canada; however it was the mothers unwavering attitude towards her identity that presented the situation. She continually repeated that she was “Blackfoot” (135), when simply stating that she was a Canadian citizen would have avoided the situation completely. This represents the absolute resolve the mother has about her own identity even when confronted by authority.
The ending of the story brings the situation to a close. After the media showed up the mother received her justice and was allowed to enter the USA while still maintaining her identity as “Blackfoot.” The guards simply replied, “Thank you” and “Have a pleasant trip (144). This confirms the underlying message of story; holding true to beliefs in the face of opposition is what establishes identity.
Ultimately the mother succeeded through her determination to maintain her identity and to not take the easy way out. Although the manner in which she decided to make her stand was unusual it was nonetheless effective.
