Belonging In Riel Nason's Short Story 'The Box'

Comparative and Contrast Essay
In a social setting the feeling of belongingness to a group is very important. If one is different and does not belong to a group that person is outcasted. The first story, “The Box” written by Riel Nason is about a character named Jeff who goes to a long time friends wedding and faces a number of obstacles. The second story is called “One, Two, Three Little Indians” written by Hugh Garner and focuses on the obstacles a native-canadian faces. Characters Jeff and Big Tom experience alienation and the difference in values which restrict them from achieving belongingness. Ultimately, it is seen that acceptance to the environment is the key to either success into integrating or failure to do so in certain circumstances.

Similarly, Big Tom from One, Two, Three Little Indians also experienced judgement from the people around him. Big Tom is judged because of other people's stereotypes for him and his culture. When Big Tom goes to sell baskets in order to earn a living he states, “A man took a series of photographs of him with an expensive looking camera, pacing off the distance and being very careful in setting his lens opening and shutter speeds.’I wish he’d look into the camera,’ the man said loudly to a couple standing nearby, as though he were talking of an animal in a cage.’You can’t get anime good picshus around here. Harold tried to get one of the five Dionnet kids, but they wouldn’t let him. The way they keep them quints hid you’d think they was make of china or sump'n’, The woman said. She glanced at her companion for confirmation’ (Garner, pg. 3). This shows the judgement Big Tom faces because it shows how non-native people see him as something to spectate and not

Foremost, Jeff is held back by false assumptions because the guests at the wedding assume different things since he is not from the city and apply their own prejudices upon him. For example when Jeff meets the bride’s uncle Rich, asks Jeff, “ ‘So is your work in wood?’ he asks. It is because of the box. [Jeff nods]. ‘Trees?’ [Jeff] says more or less., and he seems pleased with his perceptiveness, ‘You know, in my wife’s family there was a lumberjack five or six generations back,’ Rich pops one of the mystery hors d'oeuvres into his mouth.” (Nason, pg. 2). Here Jeff faces false assumptions because Rich concludes that Jeff must be a lumberjack because firstly, he lives in the countryside and is not from the city, and secondly, because Jeff stated that he works with wood he automatically must be a lumberjack. But in reality Jeff is actually a chemical engineer that works at a pulp factory. This holds Jeff back from belongingness because the guests simply assume things because of the stereotypes and beliefs they hold. Similarly Big Tom also experiences false assumptions. Big Tom faces false assumptions through prejudice and ignorance about native culture and native people. When Big Tom goes to fish in order to as much money to pay for the doctor for his sick child he faces false assumptions by his boss Cooper. When Cooper asks, “ ‘What's the matter?’ Copper asked. ‘You seem pretty