Borders Thomas King Summary

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In the short story, “Borders” by Thomas King uses the mother to illustrate how culture plays a role in establishing our identity and we as a society need to recognize its importance. The title “Borders” demonstrate two borders: one is the conspicuous physical border between Canada and US and the other is the psychological border between identity and citizenship of a person, which is the main border the author wants to portray in the story. The main character is the mother from Blackfoot who is planning to visit her daughter along with her son in Salt Lake City located in America. Before the mother decides to visit her daughter, she decides to wear an attire that varies from American apparel style. “So I was surprised when she bought two new …show more content…
As the guards ask her about her citizenship she refuses to identify herself as Canadian or American because she keeps responding, “Blackfoot” (135). This is her persistent action of demonstrating the determination and cultural pride as a way of showing the appreciation of her Native background. Additionally, she feels that claiming her citizenship as a Canadian to cross the American border, she’s going to give up her identity. On the other hand, the border guards, representing how society thinks, neglects her Blackfoot background, setting constraints on the way the mother chooses to distinguish and identify herself. Yet in truth, the society ought to perceive how essential for the mother to be a Blackfoot since it is part of her culture that builds and develop her identity. She values her beliefs and preserves her cultural lifestyle. In addition, rather than asking the mother to accommodate in Canadian and American border laws and regulations, it should be the society complying with the Blackfoot laws as a result of being the first to inhabit the land. Moreover, the mother portrays the cultural pride that she values and
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