The Border as a Threshold

Crossing between Argentina and Uruguay repeatedly turns geography into a test of Lucas’s identity, freedom, and sense of belonging.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Leaving Argentina

Crossing as Escape A practical departure Lucas boards the ferry to Uruguay to collect publisher advances. The border offers a brief change of scene from his household pressures in Buenos Aires. Freedom with limits He hopes to bring cash back despite restrictions on dollars entering Argentina. The journey begins as a loophole through an economic system and an emotional routine.

Colonia to Montevideo

The Inland Journey A transitional landscape Lucas rides the bus past palms, fields, and scattered houses. The landscape feels distinct from the Argentine pampas and gives him a sense of moving toward another life. Memory travels too The route brings back Valizas and Guerra. Geography does not simply take him to a destination; it activates the desire and memory he carries across the border.

The City Beyond the Ferry

Nearness and Difference Familiar speech, unfamiliar details Lucas recognizes the regional resemblance while noticing changed words, habits, and cultural markers. Montevideo feels close enough to know and strange enough to unsettle him. A threshold identity He stands between the familiar life in Argentina and the imagined life attached to Guerra. The city’s ambiguity mirrors his own divided intentions.

A Second Crossing

Returning Without the Cash The journey reverses Lucas boards the return ferry after the robbery, with the ukulele and very little money. The crossing no longer represents a profitable errand but a retreat from a failed plan. Home becomes necessary His injuries and conversation with Enzo have redirected him toward his family. The border crossing now carries him back to a life he cannot simply escape.

A Borderland Subject

The River Remains New literary territory Lucas’s later work draws on limited events between the two sides of the river rather than a vast journey through Brazil. The border becomes a scale for intimate misadventure. A lasting threshold He remains linked to Montevideo through memory and uncertainty, but he no longer treats the city as a guaranteed escape. The river marks both separation and continuing connection.

Before sunrise, at the Buenos Aires ferry terminal

Morning, after arriving in Colonia

Around noon, upon arriving at Terminal Tres Cruces

Evening, aboard the ferry back to Buenos Aires

Near the ending, when Lucas describes his later writing