Border Crossing

Border Crossing – Pat Barker
Chapter Questions

Chapter 2
Does Danny see Tom or himself as the devil? Explain
Danny see’s himself as the devil because he feels that he has ruined Tom’s life through their latest meeting.

How does Tom feel about Danny at this stage?
Tom feels curious and worried about Danny and wants to know how life has been for him.

Chapter 3
Do you agree with Tom’s fears that “people who remain childless never really grow up”?
I do not agree with Tom’s fear “people who remain childless never really grow up”. People who do not have children are not young or immature although having a child does make you more responsible.

Explain the last line
“Somewhere in the back of his mind, as he and Roddy parted, was the picture of a rope, fraying, one strand after another coming apart” could mean that Tom is imagining his marriage and seeing it slowly being torn apart, piece by piece.

Chapter 4
Why does Danny have “more reason than most to cry”?
Danny has more reason than most to cry because his dad had walked out, and he knew that his mother was close to leaving. His friends were betraying him and he was most likely going to go to jail.

How is the intimacy that exists between Tom and Danny revealed?
The intimacy between Tom and Danny was revealed by Tom, when he was interviewing Danny to find out whether he is capable mentally, to enter adulthood, the same as everybody else and whether or not he would be capable of being trialled as an adult, not as a juvenile.

Chapter 5
Can we draw any link between this rescue in the novel and Tom’s rescue of Danny?
Tom’s rescue of Danny and the man’s rescue of neil were both sort of in the same scenery and maybe Tome and Jeff were saved from a lifetime of condemption.

Chapter 6
According to Tom, can people change? Give reasons?
According to Tom, people can change but he also believes that the environments people live in can share their individuality.

What does Danny want from Tom?
Danny wants Tom to help him figure out how he managed to kill someone and why is his fate like this.

Chapter 7
What is your opinion of Danny?
I think that Danny is capable of being a good kid but he never had anyone there to teach him right from wrong after his father left which lead him to do stupid things.

How dangerous is he?
Danny is not a very dangerous person although he can be extremely manipulative at points which can sometimes get him or others in trouble.

Chapter 8
How convincing is Danny in terms of his charm and ability to manipulate others?
Danny is very successful in manipulating others as he managed to make a whole story to deny that he murdered Lizzie Parks and make it so convincing he even began to believe the story himself.

What manipulations has he successfully managed up to this point?
Danny has successfully manipulated Long Garth by convincing everyone that his English teacher sexually abused him and he manipulated Tom, the court and even himself that he did not murder Lizzie Parks.

Chapter 9
After carefully reading this chapter, indicate Tom’s degree of responsibility for Danny’s sentencing.
Tom is very involved in the reason for Danny going to jail. He interviewed Danny and gave evidence against him in court.

What justification does Danny have for blaming Tom for his sentence?
Danny blames Tom for his conviction because he spoke to Tom in what he thought was a confidential meeting, but Tom revealed all of what Danny had said to the court.

Chapter 10
What is the effect of Danny slipping “into being his father” when he talks about the Argentinean solder?

Chapter 11
Why does Tom feel so uneasy when he sees Danny talking to Lauren?
Tom felt uneasy when he saw Danny talking to Lauren because he knew what Danny was capable of, being his psychologist and perhaps he felt jealous after noticing that Danny is actually an exceptionally good-looking man.

Chapter 12
Find evidence to show how disillusioned Tom is becoming.
Evidence that shows how disillusioned Tom is becoming starts when he was talking about how much ‘smaller’ his house had become ever since Lauren had left. Then he decided to speak to Ryan about a different case and after that, went out for dinner with Martha and opened up to her.

How self-aware do you think he is?
I think Tom is becoming more self-aware as the book goes on, and in chapter twelve he was beginning to start thinking about things a lot more, such as where his life is headed.

Chapter 13
Based on what we learn about him in this chapter, how dangerous is Danny?
We learn in this chapter that Danny is the youngest by three years in Long Garth, he attempted to stab another boy with a screwdriver, he is good at manipulating people and he told others he was sexually abused which got another man out of his job.

List the ways he manipulates and controls those around him
Danny had made others believe that he was very academic and wasn’t capable of what he was committed for. He also occasionally opened up to some people, making them think they had made progress. He also told people he was sexually abused, making them feel sorry for him.

Chapter 14
Why did Danny believe his own story?
Danny believed his own story because he had told the story so many times and wanted to block out the truth so bad he manipulated himself to think that he didn’t commit the murder.

What did the fire setting and stealing represent to Danny?
The fire setting and the stealing was a way to have power over everybody else, he also had to be checked on regularly and that always game him the attention he craved.

What is the significance of the fact that Danny’s mother tried to belt him the day before he killed Lizzie?
The fact that Danny’s mother tried to belt him the day before he killed Lizzie brings out that he would have been very angry and felt mistreated which is perhaps why he vented all his anger out on Lizzie.

Chapter 16
Why did Danny “dob” Angus in?
Danny dobbed Angus in because Angus asked him to write about Lizzie Parks, which he did not want to do.

What is the significance of the rabbit at the end of the chapter? How does it relate to the rabbit motif used at various stages of the book?

Chapter 17
What is the significance of Danny being present during this traumatic event on Tom’s life?
The significance of Danny being present during this traumatic event of Tom’s life is so he can see that everyone has problems in their life and it also reminded him of his dad leaving.

Chapter 18
What borders have been crossed with Danny and to what effect?
Tom is now spending most of his time working on Danny’s case, and ignoring all other calls and jobs. Also, Tome and Martha seem to be getting closer to one another which isn’t very professional on both their sides.

Chapter 19
Why do you think Pat Barker does not enable Danny to understand why he committed murder?
Pat Barker does not enable Danny to fully understand why he has committed murder because he was young and wasn’t in the right place at the right time and things just happened.

Chapter 20
Why does Danny ask Tom whether he believes in evil? What is his response?
Danny asks Tom whether or not he believes in evil as Danny’s way of asking if he is an evil person.

Chapter 21
Why does Tom protect Danny from being committed?
Tom protects Danny from being committed because they now have built up a friendship with each other and Tom believes that he can help Danny one last time.

Chapter 22
In what ways have Danny and Tom been able to move on with their lives?
Danny has been able to move on with his life by finding friends and getting an education towards the end of the book. Tom has been able to move on by letting Danny go and getting life back on track.