Crossing Mark Slouka Analysis

Crossing

Trust. Something that can take a lifetime to build, but only a couple seconds to destroy. One word that contains so much meaning. At one point, we all wonder: Is there a limit? Do we trust anyone or anything unconditionally or is there an edge, and if we cross that edge there is no going back? Trust can be all the important things, yet it can also be all the insignificant things that make the difference – from time to time it can be about life or death. Trust can be rebuilt, but perhaps the fear of making a mistake is right under the surface.

The short story “Crossing” was written in 2011 by Mark Slouka, who is an author. Mark Slouka’s short story follows significant themes such as trust and love. The story follows a man, who is also a father. The story follows his thoughts and feelings throughout his trip with his son, specifically crossing the river.

The main character is a man who has a son. It seems that the man has had a divorce with the mother of his son: “He went inside, wiping his shoes and

Even though the story is written in the third person we, as the readers, is guided through the story by the father’s thoughts and feelings. The story is written in the past tense and it seems that the narrator is omniscient, which can be explained due to the fact that there is a certain tension in the story, as if something dangerous is about to happen, for instance: “He had thought the river sounded louder even before they came out of the trees, and it did. […]” The last three words in this quote can be seen as a comment from the narrator and it creates a great suspense because we, as the readers, now believes that something is about to happen, but the characters do not know that. You can add that the narrator is limited, because the narrator only has access to the father’s thoughts and feelings, but not to the son nor the