Defiance In The Short Story 'Borders' By Samuel Scoville Jr.

The Importance of Defiance

Defiance occurs all the time, but is it necessary? In fact, it is possible to detect whether or not defiance is indispensable in the short story “Borders” by Thomas King where an indigenous mother and son are trying to cross the U.S.-Canadian border, but are being subtly asked to conform to the current society that they live in. Additionally, the answer lies in the short story “The Reef” by Samuel Scoville Jr. where a grandfather and his grandson go sponge diving in a reef that has caused physical and internal harm to their family. In addition, the short story “The Rules of the Game'' by Amy Tan can similarly answer this question as the previous short stories that I have mentioned. However, in this short story,

In the mind-opening short story, “Borders” by Thomas King, King communicates that the risk of defying authority is not able to outweigh the rewards that come subsequently. A compelling way that King was able to do that is by using repetition and characterizing the mother as someone who doesn’t want to give up her identity when she encounters people who want her to fit in with a group of people that she doesn’t believe aligns with her identity. For example, on page 134, a mother and son encounter a border guard as they attempt to cross the U.S.-Canadian border to get into the United States of America legally. The border guard is required to ask them about their citizenship. However, as simple as this may be, the conversation takes a turn, and it happens like this, “‘Citizenship?’ ‘Blackfoot,” my mother told him. ‘Ma’am?’ “Blackfoot,” my mother repeated. ‘Canadian?’ ‘Blackfoot’” (135). Several moments afterward, a different border guard tried to have a conversation with

Most importantly, in the story, the mother is characterized as a very overbearing mother. However, in this part of the story, the main character, Waverly, stands up to her mother and becomes a little disobedient to her mother. In fact, it occurs like this “‘Ma, I can’t practice when you stand there like that,’ I said one day. She retreated to the kitchen and made loud noises with the pots and pans. When the crashing stopped, I could see out of the corner of my eye that she was standing in the doorway. ‘Hmmmmph!’ Only this one came out of her tight throat” (8). This quote is able to reveal that Waverly had stood up to her mother, and in return, her mother had become less overbearing. Furthermore, with this action, Waverly had been able to receive the reward of a little freedom and independence from her mother that she had been trying to acquire throughout the story. In addition, a little later in the story, Waverly informs the reader that “One day after we left a shop I said under my breath, ‘I wish you wouldn’t do that, telling everybody I’m your daughter’” (8). This section of the story further suggests that Waverly is becoming disobedient toward her mother rather than staying as the obedient girl that she had been in the earlier parts of the story. Furthermore, this defiance toward her mother is able to lead to her obtaining independence