Borges Reader Response

Reader response to Borges

     The first story I read by Borges was called, “The Garden of Forking Paths”. This story was a little long but met my requirements for good magical realism. The story was easy to follow, the magical realism was clear, and I did not have to wait for class to understand most of the points.  The way Borges explained time was extremely interesting. He used the idea that time splits at different points but continues in parallel universes.  I was reminded of Cortazar when the ending brought a wild twist. The idea that it was acceptable to kill a man because in a different reality it did not happen was a really unique idea. Also, I learned in class that Borges used the concept of ignorance always beating intelligence. This concept was obvious when the cowardly man killed the genius, which turned out to be a worthless gesture. I enjoyed the whole story and was very impressed with this first impression.

    The next story by Borges was called “The Gospel According to Mark”. The story was very appealing to me because I am a Christian who has read the book of Mark in its entirety. In class, I learned Borges was saying that there needs to be both Christianity and science in society. The reason they must both exist is if there has to be a choice Christianity will always win. I found this story interesting because he really touched on some sensitive issues in Christianity. Again, the story possessed a very unique twist at the end, which showed the magical realism clearly. I am always impressed when I can see the Magical realism on my own without the aid of class notes.

      The last story I read by Borges was called “Emma Zunz”. This story made the score three for three in my opinion of Borges. The story was a little drawn out with details; however, the details in the story made the plot twist at the end come together. I had to read the story a few times but I finally grasped the Idea Borges was portraying. Again, Borges used the power of imagination to justify the killing of a man. This story was one of my favorites so far. The ending came out of nowhere and fit together perfectly with all the details I had to pay attention to.  Borges’ stories fit into my definition of a good read. He was able to keep my interest through the story with key details and then blow my mind with a plot twist at the end .