According to Thomas King, borders are just "a figment of someone else's imagination." The border between Canada and America has long been considered to represent a soft border, a state of mind rather than a physical feature. Business at the border is no longer just about the trade of goods and customs, but its existence authorizes the citizenship and identity of the people who cross it. In “Borders,” Thomas King examines how association 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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayPortraying the Sense of Identity in Thomas King's "Borders"Thomas King points out that the mother's portrayal of pride in her place of origin encourages her son to carry forward the same pride in his identity. The narrator states, “Pride is a good thing to have, you know. Laetitia was very proud, and so was my mother” (King 271). The mother persists in making the border guards believe that the place she belongs to is called “Blackfoot”. The mother believes that Blackfoot is an independent nation and shows pride in identifying herself as a citizen of this 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, but I could see that she wouldn't." Later, witnessing his mother's ongoing struggle to reclaim her own identity, the son changes his outlook 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 that one day I would have that too." The mother's strong refusal to conform also encourages the son to be proud of his roots. Thomas King suggests that Mel's sense of identity is undermined by placing him between boundaries. The narrator explains that “the manager had a name tag with a tiny American flag on one side and a tiny Canadian part on the other” (King 271). The store manager, Mel, and the mother describe a conflicting sense of identity. The mother identifies as a proud member of the Blackfeet nation, while Mel fails to embody any single nation by wearing the flags of either country. 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 between borders, is unable to develop the same amount of pride that her mother has. Therefore, he is unable to relate to his mother's situation at the beginning of the story and shows rude behavior towards her. The narrator recalls that Mel “told us we had to 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 take pride in a single nation. Thomas King reveals that a new sense of identity emerges in Laetitia from a change of location. The narrator states that “Laetitia had not left home with my mother's blessing, but in time my mother had become proud that Laetitia had done all this alone” (Kings 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 awareness of her identity as a Blackfoot. She justifies her decision to leave the reservation by claiming that her father is an “American.” With a change in location, there also comes a change in identity within Laetitia. Since Laetitia.