Status Updates From Thine Is The Kingdom

At the time of the book in the Bahamas, laws don't make much of an impact. Thesinger believes that, "laws, your university ideas, they don't exist" (Buckner 199). Since the laws aren't always followed, part of Bahamian culture is the extreme amount of violence. Gavin deals with Thesinger as a conflict. Thesinger burns down the poor side of town, and Gavin struggles to separate himself from Thesinger's actions.

I find it interesting that Bahamians have to constantly prove that they belong. On top of having to have citizenship papers, they need to know the ways of the land. Gavin is poorly treated because vendors think he is a tourist. Gavin is losing his job because the Orion is not sailing: "that's going to be her last cruise" (Buckner 135). I feel bad for Gavin, but I understand if the owner of the Orion can't pay him.

The illegal market is culturally interesting. Mr. Thesinger believes that just having the market in the Bahamas brings down the economy. The main character, Gavin Blake, deals with a conflict of being stuck with a job he doesn't really like. He talks about quitting: "'It's not what I thought. You know. I never get to sea" (Buckner 74). I think that Blake should remain at this job until he can become a citizen.

One culturally interesting point that I have learned is how people in the Bahamas gain their citizenship. In the Bahamas, "a child takes the citizenship of the father" (Buckner 24). Gavin, the main character, was born in the Bahamas, but had an American father. He then faces a conflict of not feeling like he belongs in Bahamian culture. I believe that Gavin should not feel left out, even if he is not a citizen.