Surfacing Theme of Foreignness

Even though the narrator of Surfacing grew up in the region where she's searching for her father, she feels like a foreigner there (particularly after all the time that's passed). Even apart from that, there's a decent amount of culture clash between English- and French-speaking inhabitants of the region (this was a time when both Canadian nationalism and Quebecois separatism were on the rise), which means that even long-time residents of the region—for example, "Madame" and the narrator's mother—experienced dealing with "foreignness" as part of their everyday lives. Then, of course, there's the fact that Americans are increasingly a presence in the region, which does not please the Canadian characters, it seems. (Historically, the result was a tremendous amount of suspicion regarding the values and changes the American presence was bringing with it.) The narrator seems to turn to nature to find refuge from all these social, cultural, and political clashes.

1. Do you think there's anywhere the narrator truly feels at home? Or do you think she pretty much always feels "foreign" wherever she goes? Why do you think so?
2. What does being "American" really mean to the narrator? Is it about actually being from the United States, or is it something else? How does her notion of being "American" differ from David's?
3. In her musings about feeling, or being, out of place, the narrator often references language as the problem, the thing that always ends up putting up a barrier between her and other people (even in her own language). What do you make of that? What is the alternative?

Nature is the only place where there is no such thing as foreignness, which is why the narrator treats it as sacred; the natural world is the only common ground one can find.

Despite being Canadian, David is actually the most "American" character in the book by the narrator's definition, since he's brash, bullying, invasive, and disrespectful of his natural surroundings. Way to go, dude.