Broken relationships, trust, joy, fear – these are all aspects of life that everyone can relate to in some way. These are all emotions that we all have to deal with at some point in life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In the short story “Crossing,” written by Mark Slouka in 2009, this is exactly what two characters are dealing with. A trip should be full of joy, but an event at the river hinders the rebuilding of trust and relationship between a father and son. Is the risk of trusting too great, if it is life or death? Once trust is broken, is it too difficult to rebuild? The main character is a man in his thirties, perhaps in his thirties as he has been married, divorced and has a young son. He is a man full of hope and regrets. His divorce is not written directly, but subtly indicated by the narrator by drawing attention to “…the azaleas he had planted.” This suggests that he once lived there, but now enters with his head lowered as if he were a visitor. That morning, as she goes to pick up her son from home, she feels a feeling of hope. The hope that maybe he will be able to make everything right again. He comes to the conclusion that to fix their relationship, he needs to take notes from his relationship with his father, which means a trip to the wilderness would be the best way to bond. When they end up in the extremely dangerous position of being trapped in the river, his thoughts reflect on the guilt he feels: "My God, all his other mistakes were just preparations for this." This suggests that he was the reason her marriage had to end, and he is aware of it. His thoughts during the story play an important role, as his nervousness and anxiety influence the atmosphere of the story. We are guided by the father's thoughts despite the fact that it is not told by a first-person narrator, but instead by a third-person narrator. This leaves the reader with limited knowledge regarding the situations and the narrator well aware of what will happen. We are left to share the protagonist's feeling of anxiety and suspense, when small hints are given, but something has yet to happen. The writing is overwhelmed by imagery, giving the reader the ability to create an image in their mind.