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Borders By Thomas King Analysis

709 Words3 Pages

The aboriginal defender Thomas King is a critical writer worried about autochthonous citizens ' rights and their culture within both the United States and Canadian countries. Thomas King’s short story “Borders” relates the different problems which concern a Blackfoot mother and her son when crossing the American border in order to visit her daughter. Knowing that King is a strong advocate of First Nations, the reader will be able to perceive his social criticism within this story. Despite the fact that Americans and Canadians are conscious of these critics, Thomas King takes a step forward and introduces these social issues in one of his more important works, “Borders”, which includes current themes such as pride and self-identity. In fact, these themes are represented mainly with the steadfast character of the Mother. How does King represent these features in a character?
Firstly, pride is one of the most characteristic Mother’s distinction during the whole …show more content…

Without refusing her Blackfoot identity, the Mother prefers not to cross the borders saying that she is a Canadian or an American, but stays between them. Her identity and pride are linked with her aboriginal rights, as the Jay Treaty of 1794 establishes, “First Nations have Indigenous and Treaty rights to trade freely across the US-Canada border” (Assembly of First Nations). Under these circumstances, the Mother will not refuse her identity even though the border guards do not let her cross the border. Also, according to Andrews and Walton, “King 's story depicts the work of a Native woman who resists identifying herself as American or Canadian and instead insists upon the validity of her tribal heritage as a legitimate third term” (10). In other words, the Mother behaves according to her Indian mind and her community, as well as her own citizenship, denying the American and the Canadian

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