In Lives on the Boundary, language symbolizes access; those who possess the right language have access to opportunities that others do not. On a practical level, being unable to read or write in English limits people’s ability to succeed and often relegates them to poverty. Take, for example, the adult learners Rose tutors while in the Teacher Corps. Most of the class’s attendees are immigrants (both legal and illegal) who are “migrant workers and ditch diggers and other day laborers trying to keep a Mexican family in shoes and clothes with American wages” (129). By learning just a little English, Rose’s students gain the ability to navigate American society that much better. He tells readers that “the classes were bringing them comfortably into the schools, breaking down some of the intimidating barriers that traditionally keep them far away, distant from the places where their kids were learning how to read and write” (131). Language creates access for Rose’s students—not just in their communities, but even within their families. They can now become active participants in their children’s education, just by gaining basic English-language-comprehension skills.

But basic language ability is often not enough; a person can be literate and still be excluded from areas based on how one uses language.