Similarities Between Antigone And Borders

Society plays a crucial role in everyone’s lives as it directs the way one behaves, observes, and interacts with other people, as well as their surroundings. Antigone and “Borders” written by Sophocles and Thomas King respectively, demonstrate the roles and decisions executed by the protagonists according to societal expectations. To briefly summarize, Antigone is a play set in the ancient Geek era where the protagonist, Antigone, breaks a law which holds a punishment of death to give her traitorous brother a respectable funeral. On the other hand, “Borders” is a short story set in modern times in which the protagonist, who is the narrator’s mother, attempts to cross the border to visit her daughter without surrendering her Blackfoot status

to a Canadian or American citizenship. Both women defy their expected societal roles of being timid, simple-minded, and submissive to a man and instead demonstrate their courage and intellectuality throughout their journeys. Therefore, the decisions made by Antigone and the narrator’s mother both hold the similarity of challenging female roles. By believing in their decisions, withstanding male authority, and accepting the consequences, but execute them contrastingly, both Antigone and the narrator’s mother break past social expectations to fulfill their own ambitions.
Antigone is a character whose decision goes beyond withstanding against injustice as a female, but rather, is more about honouring her brother’s death as a sister. For instance,
ANTIGONE. Will you lift up his body with these bare hands an lower it with me?
ISMENE. What?! You’d bury him- when the law forbids the city?
suggests that Antigone is willing to risk her life for an acceptable burial of her brother (line 52-53).

In addition, it illustrates that Antigone is stepping out of the traditional, societally expected role of a female to give her brother respect despite his traitorous actions. It also illustrates that Antigone reacts sensitively to the situation. This portrays her female attributes. However, it also demonstrates that Antigone is courageous because she decides to take action rather than compromising to appease society. To disregard a ruthless death penalty is a trait that was uncommon to women and even men back in ancient Greece. Nevertheless, Antigone appears to be tougher than other people, which disrupts the typical female role because it contrasts her sister’s timid character–who, unlike Antigone, is afraid to raise her voice against injustice. Therefore, Antigone’s decision to go against societal norms and stay rooted with her morals showcases that she is reaching beyond what is traditionally deemed acceptable for women. The same sentiment applies for the protagonist in “Borders.”

The short story “Borders” highlights a major concern of native individuals conforming their self-identity to attain the citizenship of a country. The narrator’s mother illustrates this circumstance by deciding to preserve her Blackfoot status as singular. To elucidate on this notion is the following dialogue:

MALE BORDER GUARD. Now I know we have got Blackfeet on the American side and the Canadian

got Blackfeet on their side. Just so we can keep out records straight, which side are you from?
MOTHER. Blackfoot side (King 309)
This quote shows that the narrator is not willing to surrender her status, even if it helps the government keep their “records straight.” In addition, the narrator’s mother shows determination to stay singular despite the hardships she faces, which further illustrates that she believes her actions are right and justifiable. She also demonstrates that she has the bravery to affirm her decision, which is the opposite of submissive, and therefore, considered to be a male dominant trait. It is also crucial to note that she does not let her native status make her feel inferior. Instead, she is proud of being a Blackfoot and she lets the readers know this throughout the story. She repeatedly says Blackfoot when she is asked for her citizenship, which adds weight to her decision because it illustrates that she does not take her identity lightly. It is clear throughout the story that the mother of the narrator takes the form of a determined male in order to fight for herself and her culture. She does not possess the predominantly determined trait of a timid and easily manipulated female.
Antigone is a character who actively and vocally defies the laws and authorities of the King with immense courage.

She expresses, “nor did I think your edict has such force that you a mere mortal, could override the gods” (lines 503-504). This implies that she considers no law that is made by man to be an ultimate verdict. In addition, this also implies that Antigone would break societal customs that dictate the behaviour of women because no man himself would go through with a drastic decision that would lead to his death. Moreover, this displays that Antigone makes a point by her actions rather than her words because she instead of questioning the sentence, she carries out the final rites of her brother, anyway. It is important to note that it is her emotions which cause her to take the pronounced step. This illustrates that it is indeed her female attributes which drive her forward, which in turn makes the readers understand that there is purpose and passion behind her drastic behaviour. So, Antigone’s action against the King indicates her willpower against authority because no one would take her words seriously because she is a woman “not born to contend with men” (line

75).
The main crisis in “Borders” is the way the mother resists the authority of two countries simultaneously. She defends her decision of remaining singularly Blackfoot and does not easily become apprehensive by any of the border security guards. This makes the reader believe that she is willing to go through hardships to protect and conserve her Blackfoot status. To point out, the narrator says “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” specifies that creating further trouble is the least of the narrator’s mother’s concerns because she does not want her Blackfoot status to be under the influence of Canada or the United States (King, 307). In fact, this critical analysis by Eva Gruber also highlights the mother’s persistence, “realising her tenacity, however, the American border guard calls it ‘a little misunderstanding’ and launches into an explanation about legal matters, whereas the Canadian border official, in an attempt at political correctness and diplomacy, patronizing signals understanding, but nevertheless does not accommodate to the woman’s cultural needs” (Gruber). Moreover, this demonstrates that this woman is going against societal rules and norms to express the importance of her culture, which the authorities did not want to understand. Furthermore, she indicates that she has to go through extreme ends for the authorities to recognize that she is not bailing on her decision because she is a native woman. Instead, she stands her ground until the authorities have no option but to let her cross the border. Therefore, she illustrates that she is not willing to back down from a fight from two countries that are willing to disassociate her culture form her identity.
Antigone is an audacious character that is willing to stand by her noble decision even if it results in a death penalty. She elucidates her resolution extremely vocally and without any uneasiness;
CREON. You, tell me briefly, no long speeches – were you aware a decree had forbidden this?
ANTIGONE. Well aware. How could I avoid it? It was public.
CREON. And you still had the gall to break this law?
ANTIGONE. Of course I did. (Lines 496-499)
This passage suggests that Antigone is willing to go through many hardships that come with her decision and she faces them confidently. The passage also illustrates that she is not selfish but indeed selfless, as she is giving up her life for the sake of burying her dead brother. Most importantly, it expresses her humanity; even if she knows that her brother died fighting his other brother over power, she is still willing to take the risk for him because he is family. Moreover, it conveys her feminine characteristics because she is portraying the picture of an ideal loving and caring sister. And this is a natural response because she, like any other female, is taught to be caring and nurturing towards family. Hence, the drastic step Antigone took appears to be valid because she is doing what she is taught, which is how to be a female. She represents a strong and defiant female who is not afraid of the consequences of losing her life because she is putting it on a stake for her family.
The narrator’s mother is also a defiant and confident woman. She is shown time after time taking control of her life and identity knowing there might be multiple challenges she could encounter. To emphasize is the phrase “we had nowhere to go, that neither the Americans nor the Canadians would let us in,” which indicates that the narrator’s mother knows that her decision to drive from border to border is making the trip difficult not only for herself but her son as well (King 312). Not to mention, it also illustrates that the mother is trying to dismiss her motherly characteristics like being nurturing and affectionate and puts up a hardened exterior because she wants acceptance for herself. However, she did express some hope for her son to ensure him that they will gain justice eventually, which demonstrates that even if she tries to venture out of societal norms, her motherly instincts will always be there (King 312). This establishes that the mother is willing to push until she gets her way which is again, typical of male qualities. Therefore, the violation of societal expectations reveals the narrator’s mother’s strong will to surpass the fear of any aftermath of not complying to government authorities from two bordering countries.