Form of the Sword

Though this story is very short compared to those that we have read this year, I believe in my humble opinion that it is the most profound of the all the stories. It adds a hint of philosophy along with inklings of political ideologies. The best line to sum up this story and its opinions is,

"For that reason a disobedience committed in a garden contaminates the human race; for that reason it is not unjust that the crucifixion of a single Jew suffices to save it. Perhaps Schopenhauer is right: I am all others, any man is all man, Shakespeare is in some way the wretched John Vincent Moon."

What this quote illustrates is an ideology in which people of "Republican" ideals believe in and more importantly what people of Christian faith worship and hold dearly. A person is not only affecting the people immediately around them, but the decisions has consequences for the entire world around him.

There is no true mystery within the story besides who the Englishmen whose reveal is a very clever way to fool the audience. The way that Borges sets up the reveal is cunning because you as the reader assume as you read/listen to the story of how the Englishmen received his scar.