"Citizenship?" At some time in life, people are asked this question, not necessarily from others but from themselves. It questions one's identity as to who they are. Most would answer with the country they currently live in, but does one ever answer with the country they were from? In the story, Borders by Thomas King, it is apparent that the survival of one's inner identity is truly the conflict between self-denial and continuous belief. This is accomplished through three major factors: symbolism, conflict, and character. The title, Borders, is very symbolic because it has several functions and plays a significant role in the theme of the story. The protagonist experiences the conflict of her identity that we all go through at some time in life. She struggles to keep her inner identity as she attempts to cross the Canadian and American border.
The title of the story intrigues the reader and identifies an idea that is central to the theme of the story. The author uses, "Borders" because it functions on more than one level. Borders is defined as the line or frontier area separating political divisions or geographic regions (Merriam-Webster Dictionary; "border"). In this story, it has two significant meanings: where the story takes place, and the border that divides oneself between others. The setting takes place at the border that separates Canada and United States. The borders play a role that supports the conflict, man versus society. Upon arrival, the border guards question the protagonist's citizenship several times but she denies being either Canadian or American. Instead claims that she is Blackfoot. As the protagonist tries to cross the borders, she faces a situation where she had to fight for her identity. The meaning of borders can also be seen as the line that divides self-denial and continuous belief. The protagonist had a decision to make: to agree with society that she is Canadian or stick to her life long belief that she is a Blackfoot.
