Border Crossing
‘Danny is ‘very, very good at getting people to step across that invisible border.’ How true is this of the relationship between Danny and Tom?’As the title suggests, Pat Barker’s ‘Border Crossing’ is largely concerned with the crossing of invisible borders or conventional boundaries. These borders have been created to establish personal, social and moral lines or limits in addition to legal rulings and social contract. It is Danny Miller’s remarkable ability to influence and manipulate others into crossing these borders, mostly to benefit himself and this is largely demonstrated in Danny’s attempts to manipulate Tom Seymour. Ultimately, Tom is found to have crossed several borders, such as the moral line in allowing Danny to remain free of hospitalisation, although it appears necessary. Danny has an ability to get inside another’s head; above all, giving them a sense of importance by way of making them believe they have a unique connection with himself or his illness. From the very first session Tom and Danny have following Danny’s conviction, Tom is found to be breaking rules for Danny. The degree to which Tom crosses the legal and moral borders increases throughout the narrative, beginning with simply allowing Danny to smok . . .
Tom was warned on several occasions of Danny’s ability to get close enough to get inside. Elspeth explains to Tom how “manipulative and emotionally draining” Danny was. Tom finds Danny to have successfully manipulated at least four teachers at Long Garthe, through his words with Elspeth Greene, the principles wife. However, over all Tom does in fact realise that “Danny has won,” for Tom finds Danny has caused him to do things throughout the narrative he realises he would not usually permit, such as allowing Danny to stay the night at his house. Danny initialises this by asking Tom whether or not he believes ‘people can change. Danny’s smoking during the session works as a test for Danny to measure his power over Tom. Danny’s reason for asking such questions as “can people change,” is due to the fact that he must place emphasis on the idea of ‘change’ in Toms head. Others, such as Angus McDonald, Nigel Lewis and Martha Pitt who had been ‘burnt’ by Danny in one way or another, told Tom not to let Danny to get to him. Danny uses these manipulative techniques gradually throughout the narrative in showing his increasing influential abilities over Tom. From the very beginning Tom is taken in by Danny’s capacity to persuade, for example, allowing Danny to smoke in a prohibited area. Once Danny got inside there heads, he was able persuade them of different actions, shown predominantly in Tom, however there were others, such as the teachers at Long Garthe institute. Tom says “Kids can be very cruel…the sense of moral responsibility was missing,” to demonstrate that all kids at that age are capable of certain levels of cruelty. Elspeth displays the extent of Danny’s manipulation, as she explains he was responsible for a number of rules being broken, never to be alone with students, never to use first names and he was an excellent imitator. During Danny’s stay at Tom’s house, Danny builds a fire to a dangerous level, a burning log falls to the room floor and Tom places back in the fire.
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Acceptance Essays
