What is the symbolism behind borders by Thomas King?

Answer 1

The title Borders has two meanings. The US and Canadian border is used as the physical representation of the short story. The second is the border that society has imposed for the minorities groups like the Blackfoot citizens.

Answer 2

Maybe stop cheating and get it yourself!

Answer 3

"Borders" by Thomas King explores themes such as identity, belonging, and the arbitrary nature of borders. The story follows a mother and son who challenge traditional notions of borders by repeatedly crossing the Canada-US border without declaring their nationality. This challenges the idea of physical borders as defining one's identity and underscores the shared history and interconnectedness of Indigenous peoples on both sides of the border.

Answer 4

The irony in Boarder by Thomas King as I see it is that the mother is neither Canadian nor American, she belongs to a tribe called the Blackfoot that occupied the land well before the border existed. How can one divide a Nation of people by an imaginary line which divides two great countries? The mother is right in her claim and justifiably so. It is the guards at each boarder that need to do some research into the History of Canada, the United States and the Blackfoot tribe, the "guards" being the governments of each of these two countries.

Just my humble opinion here!

Answer 5

a very important theme is identity. another theme that is explored is pride.

Answer 6

the border is the limit of the colonizer. It is a power relation.

For the Blackfoot, American or Canadian is not a valid identity.

Answer 7

the theme is that pride is something that everyone should have for their heritage.