According to The Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, "Colonialism in Canada may be best understood as Indigenous peoples’ forced disconnection from land, culture and community by another group" (1). Additionally, settler colonialism in Canada occurred as land was appropriated and culture was diminished from the indigenous people by Western society due to the vast number of Europeans who greatly outnumbered the population (1). Western society has imposed a number of "borders" on individual groups of people that are felt to be minorities. The groups of people that oppose or stray from conforming to the commonly accepted rules experience an immediate response as a result. In Thomas King's "Borders," the audience is presented
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There is immediate response as Laetitia's mother strays from Western society's common set of regulations regarding declaring her citizenship: "You have to be American or Canadian" (King 806). Instead, Laetitia's mother does not conform to the restraints set upon her by the border guards or by Western society as her people had their rights and land taken away from them. When faced with the possibility of not seeing her daughter, she stands by her cultural beliefs and heritage and will not conform to stating her citizenship as either Canadian or American. She is simply Blackfoot, as demonstrated through the following: "It would have been easier if my mother had just said "Canadian" and been done with it, but I could see she wasn't going to do that" (804). As she faces the threat of detainment, she cannot fathom that her cultural diversity isn't respected or even considered as an acceptable option as she asserts Inspector Pratt "I'm going to visit my daughter in Salt Lake City. We don't have any guns or beer" (804). The mother could not change the rules permanently, but King shows that inferior people can still confide in their pride, opposing Western …show more content…
It can be argued that Laetitia's mother believes that her identity is not based on political boundaries, instead it is based on her ancestry and roots as shown when she attempts to share her heritage with her son: "Every one of those stars has a story . . . Coyote went fishing one day. That’s how it all started" (King 808). In relation, the seemingly never-ending issue with not being able to cross either border draws the attention of the media, recognizing and highlighting the issue of cultural identity, and eventually allowing the mother and her son to gain entry across the American border. The border can symbolize the gateway to the recognition of the importance of identity as it pertains to diluting someone's cultural background and heritage: "You know, you read about these things, but you just don't believe it. You just don’t believe it" (807). Mayer argues that "Native views of identity and belonging substitute the discourse of the non-Native majority" (71) and this can undoubtedly be identified as the mother is finally allowed to cross the border. As soon as the story was going to be depicted in the media, the realization of such issues leads to the reconciliation
There is immediate response as Laetitia's mother strays from Western society's common set of regulations regarding declaring her citizenship: "You have to be American or Canadian" (King 806). Instead, Laetitia's mother does not conform to the restraints set upon her by the border guards or by Western society as her people had their rights and land taken away from them. When faced with the possibility of not seeing her daughter, she stands by her cultural beliefs and heritage and will not conform to stating her citizenship as either Canadian or American. She is simply Blackfoot, as demonstrated through the following: "It would have been easier if my mother had just said "Canadian" and been done with it, but I could see she wasn't going to do that" (804). As she faces the threat of detainment, she cannot fathom that her cultural diversity isn't respected or even considered as an acceptable option as she asserts Inspector Pratt "I'm going to visit my daughter in Salt Lake City. We don't have any guns or beer" (804). The mother could not change the rules permanently, but King shows that inferior people can still confide in their pride, opposing Western …show more content…
It can be argued that Laetitia's mother believes that her identity is not based on political boundaries, instead it is based on her ancestry and roots as shown when she attempts to share her heritage with her son: "Every one of those stars has a story . . . Coyote went fishing one day. That’s how it all started" (King 808). In relation, the seemingly never-ending issue with not being able to cross either border draws the attention of the media, recognizing and highlighting the issue of cultural identity, and eventually allowing the mother and her son to gain entry across the American border. The border can symbolize the gateway to the recognition of the importance of identity as it pertains to diluting someone's cultural background and heritage: "You know, you read about these things, but you just don't believe it. You just don’t believe it" (807). Mayer argues that "Native views of identity and belonging substitute the discourse of the non-Native majority" (71) and this can undoubtedly be identified as the mother is finally allowed to cross the border. As soon as the story was going to be depicted in the media, the realization of such issues leads to the reconciliation