According to Thomas King, borders are just “a figment of someone else’s imagination.” The border between Canada and America has long been considered a soft border, a mental state rather than a physical element. Business at the border is no longer just about trade in goods and customs, but its existence authorizes the citizenship and identity of people who cross it. In “Borders,” Thomas King examines how being associated with a specific place can influence each character's sense of identity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayRepresenting the sense of identity in Thomas King's "Borders"Thomas King points out that the representation of the mother's pride in her place of origin encourages his son to take this same pride in his identity. The narrator says, “Pride is a good thing, you know. Laetitia had a lot of pride, and so did my mother” (King 271). The mother persists in making the border guards believe that the place to which she belongs is called “Blackfoot”. The mother believes that the Blackfeet are an independent nation and is proud to identify as a citizen of that nation. At first, the son seems almost irritated by his mother's refusal to claim his citizenship. The narrator explains, "It would have been easier if my mother had just said 'Canadian' and been done with it, but I could see she wasn't going to do that." Later, witnessing his mother's continued struggle to reclaim her identity, the son changes his mind to be more supportive and respectful of his mother's decision to identify as Blackfoot. After seeing his mother's proud act, the narrator states, "I thought one day I would have it too." The mother's adamant refusal to conform encourages the son to also be proud of his roots. Thomas King suggests that Mel's sense of identity is weakened by placing him between boundaries. The narrator explains that “the manager had a name tag with a little American flag on one side and a little Canadian flag on the other” (King 271). The store manager, Mel, and the mother present contrasting identities. The mother identifies as a proud member of the Blackfoot nation, while Mel fails to embody one nation by carrying the flags of both countries. The mother denies identifying as Canadian or American. Blackfoot, being her only home, is the only nation she insists on being associated with. Mel, being located between the borders, does not have the same pride as the mother. Therefore, he is unable to understand the mother's situation at the beginning of the story and displays rude behavior towards her. The narrator remembers Mel "telling us we should buy something or leave." Mel's sense of identity is confused by placing him in the middle of the Canadian and American border, making it difficult for him to be proud of just one nation. Thomas King is delighted that a new sense of identity emerges in Laetitia through a change of location. The narrator mentions that “Laetitia had not left home with my mother's blessing, but over time my mother had become proud of the fact that Laetitia had done all this on her own” (King 269). Laetitia and her mother have the same pride in their identity, but each of them identifies with a different place. Laetitia displays a lack of understanding of her identity as a Pied-Noir. She justifies her decision to leave the reservation by claiming that her father is an “American”. With a change of location, a change of identity also takes place within Laetitia. Because Laetitia lives in America, she considers herself a.