Borges: Garden of Forking Paths & The Form of the Sword

Although I’m not a fan of war literature, Borges kept me interested with the plot twists before the end of each story.

I read Garden of Forking Paths first. I will admit I was a little bored while reading the first few pages. But he made some interesting points that are obvious but have you star-struck when you realize them. I had an “oh sh*t” moment when he wrote, “Then I reflected that all things happen, happen to one, precisely now. Century follows century, and things happen only in the present.” Idk, that was just interesting to me. It reminds to focus on the present and not dwell in the past or worry too much about the future. I like the fact the narrator isn’t acting on patriotism but is instead working to show his intelligence and ultimately his worth as an Asian man to the German military. The ending was fascinating solely because the manner he revealed the secret he was sitting on was clever!! There were a number of suspenseful moments in the story: when the narrator emptied out his pockets to obtain his pistol, when Captain Madden was spotted on the platform, when Madden was walking up the path to Albert’s house, etc.  In a sense, these all contribute to the mystery in the story. The mystery also lies in the significance of the book or the labyrinth the narrator’s ancestor never finished.

I liked The Form of the Sword a little more (not just because it was shorter). I thought the whole Garden of the Forking Paths mystery was kind of distracting from the good stuff—the reason Albert had to die. The Form of the Sword ended with a great plot twist. It was also sad because Moon clearly felt regret for his actions. I mean he should because he did commit treason, but I feel like many would in his case. He even tells the narrator to hate him. How sad.