As this story could be on your final, please respond in a thoughtful manner.
Post your thoughts on Borges's story, his control and creation of tone, and the tightly-wound plot.
There is no need to include textual support, though you should directly refer to the text.
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i found a link to the story
ReplyDeletehttp://www.english.ucsb.edu/faculty/rraley/courses/engl165/scanners/garden1.htm
In "Garden of Forking Paths" Borges creates a "hectic" tone as it describes the main character, Tsun, a spy against the British, as having so much to do in so little time such as escaping to Ashgrove to avoid being arrested by Captain Madden. He also has to find a way to let the German masters know about the German city, Albert, the British were going to attack. Borges controls this tone as he writes about how Tsun used quick thinking to shoot Dr.Albert so that he could still convey a hint to the Germans that the city of "Albert" was going to be attacked. Tsun definitely fulfilled his mission as a spy for the germans successfully.
ReplyDeleteBorges' method of writing definitely helps portray the spy in his time of desperation. The plot dense with the small observations of a man on a mission and the side comments on everything around the character help emphasize his position. The reader is able to recognize his fight or flight confusion at first and the reasons why he hesitates without forgetting that this person is not an ordinary man but one who (as his occupation demands) is always aware of the subtleties of conflicts. To me, this was both useful and annoying because, while I considered the spy constantly in-character, the amount of compacted information about multiple people and events all at once made it difficult to pay attention. Control is the watchword in this story, every reaction and fear battled down by the man's overwhelming capacity to think ahead. One may fall under the impression that the spy shoots Stephen Albert out of personal issues but the end reveals that the spy remains true to the last.
ReplyDeleteAnton Plauche, Ph.D thinks that:
ReplyDeleteAs far as plot goes i thought that this short story was very well written. The order in which information is given to the reader is very scattered allowing the mind to fill in gaps much like a mystery. The story has a very interesting tone layout that is the inverse of what one might expect. The story took on a desperate tone as it progressed until the climax at which point the tone changed to calm. In the beginning Tsun is desperate to get away from his pursuer, but in the very apex of the story when Tsun shoots a man named Albert and then is arrested the story changes to a matter of fact calm tone describing the events that followed the capture of Tsun.
I thought the short story was quite interesting, and I enjoyed how Borge slowly added more and more ideas to the plot, leading up the the finale. As I went back to read the story again, I liked how everything clicked and made sense, such as the narrator looking in the directory and also him thinking that a pistol shot could be heard from a long distance. Though one would think the scene should have been a bit frantic or filled with anxiety because Madden was on his way to arrest or murder the narrator, Tsun, the tone was rather calm. The narrator even had enough time to sit on his bed in silence as well as reflect on his whole life. And knowing the outcome, we realize that the calmness helped the narrator create such a well-organized plan.
ReplyDeleteI was especially intrigued by a few parts of the story, one of which was the fact that Tsun wanted to communicate to the Germans the name of the city they were to attack to prove his own intelligence, and not to help out the country, which he though was a barbarous country. Yet he was willing to die for this cause, knowing he was also causing the deaths of many other people, such as Dr. Albert and the English who were attacked at the end. I also thought the idea or philosophy present in Tsun's ancestor's novel about a world where all possible outcomes of a situation occur simultaneously was interesting. In addition,the fact that Albert mentioned how in one of the outcomes of their present situation he could be the Tsun's enemy was interesting as well because Tsun eventually did kill Albert. That small part, when Albert says this possibility, allows the reader to empathize with the main character, Tsun, somewhat able to feel sorry for him and what he has to do. Yet at the end, when he speaks of no one understanding his sickness of the heart, I do not believe him, or rather, do not want to believe him.
Ran Woodfin, Ph.D thinks that:
ReplyDeleteThe presence of labyrinths in the story is a display of how complex the plot of the short story itself is. The idea of the forking paths is apparent in the chase of captain Madden. The decision of the cab, to take the train for escape was all decisions with equally reasonable options resulting in different outcomes. To shoot Albert, in a stroke of brilliance, could itself have led into the message being discovered or not in two forking paths.
Peter Washington (Period 7)'s Response:
ReplyDeleteI found the murder of Albert to be appalling, unnecessary, and unjustified. When Tsun spontaneously killed him, the author made it seem as if the trigger were pulled for an unknown personal reason, creating a tone of curiosity. Once it was revealed that Tsun murdered him for the purposes of the Germans, who used the information to bomb a city full of civilians, I realized that Tsun was a villainous protagonist. A hero would be required to "do the right thing" rather than lie and murder for the purposes of an oppressive government (Germany during World War 1). Tsun can not, however, be stripped of the protagonist title, as he was the focus of the story. Furthermore, Tsun tried to justify his actions by stating that he despised the Germans. His act of murder, however, did not have proper justification. A hero would not murder a man for personal gain, no matter the circumstances.
Despite initial confusion, once decoded, the story of "The Garden of Forking Paths", becomes a device seemingly used more for the explanation of complex concepts, like the many worlds interpretation or the political situation (and motives) of Borges character. The focus of the story lies more with the thoughts and rationale of Dr. Yu Tsun, than his actions. Despite this, after having spent a considerable block of the story lost in thought and discussion, Yu Tsun once more acts quickly. Just as he did while catching the train, the main character creates a rapid change in plot. These physical actions are few throughout the story, and consequently become important plot motivators. They are, however, all the while, foreshadowed by the opinions and dialog of the characters.
ReplyDeleteThis story begins with a desperate, tense tone and ends with a melancholy tone. The narrator feels that his task is urgently important, and his writing reflects that during his journey to Stephen Albert’s home. After he arrives, the tone becomes less hurried, but Tsun’s tension remains. He knows that he is going to kill Albert, so even his curiosity about his ancestor’s novel cannot assuage his apprehension. After he kills him, he retains a feeling of accomplishment accompanied by “infinite penitence and sickness of the heart.”
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I was a little disappointed when it turned out that the two projects, the book and the labyrinth, were the same thing--I had hoped that there actually would be some sort of physical maze involved, leading perhaps to something even more complex (I'm not sure what, really). However, when Albert began talking about all the different possible outcomes of decisions and situations and how they relate to the idea of a maze, I regained a bit of my interest. I have recently found a fascination with the many-worlds/many-universes idea, though for some reason I had never made the maze connection before. It seems quite obvious now.
ReplyDeleteThe tightness of the plot impressed me. No loose ends are left untied, although the violence with which Borges tied one of them (the matter of giving the name of the city to be bombed) is a bit jarring. The way the shooting is written makes it seem spur-of-the-moment. I almost suspected some manner of major plot point to turn up there--oh, maybe Yu Tsun has realized that he is in the universe where Albert is his enemy, or something complicated and psychological like that--but that isn't it at all. He's just finishing his assignment. Part of me wonders if Albert knew, somehow, that he was going to die. Tsun seems to have made up his mind early on, considering, again, how suddenly he shoots.
Reading over parts of the story more than once helped me put some of the pieces together, which was quite satisfying.
First, I would just like to say that I loved the cleverness in the end to symbolize Tsun's murder as the city the German's need to bomb.
ReplyDeleteSome interesting symbolism, which I found, is when Tsun remarks, “Then I reflected that all things happen to one precisely now, Centuries follow century, and things happen only in the present” (90). Whatever Tsun decides to do with his information, every action he partakes in is always, for him, occurs in the present, and that is the only aspect of time humanity can use to manipulate either the past or the future. Tsun, though, cuts off this meditation to pursue action, as he fears his life may be on the line.
Tsun returns to these deep thoughts while he is walking to a man’s house who goes by the name of Albert; Albert, Tsun explains, is the only man who could help out Tsun at that time. Tsun says, “I though of a maze of mazes, of a sinuous, ever growing maze which would take in both past and future and would somehow involve the stars” (94). Tsun here images time as infinite, as all expanding. With the analogy to a maze (or labyrinth, as named in other translations), Tsun describes how there are multiple paths that a single person can take, and how that certain path the person chooses leads in turn to another set of decision. The “mazes of mazes” phrase ignites the image of a sideways expanding time, not just past, present, and future. In this time there are multiple realities that all play themselves out simultaneously. Whatever Tsun does now, there are other Alberts out there making different decisions in their own labyrinths.
Tsun has chosen that specific path where he is an enemy of Albert, yet that has only a single path he takes. Immediately after describing the shooting, Tsun goes on to begin the next paragraph by saying, “What remains is unreal, unimportant” (101). This explanation precedes the brief description of Tsun then suddenly being captured and sentenced to death. But that, to Tsun at that point, doesn’t seem to matter as there is an infinite amount of other realities where bother Albert and Tsun are still both alive, and the two men might be friends. When Tsun dies, it is only in that single maze wherein he is no longer living. Time is so broad here that a single man’s plights are lost in a seemingly endless labyrinth of time.
I disliked "Garden of Forking Paths". Though it had interesting literary aspects, the tale twisting like the labyrinth and book discussed by Albert and Tsun, so that the reader never completely understands what is going on until the last paragraphs. The overall message was really disappointing to me. Tsun has to kill a man, supposedly to protect his country, and he thinks of it as this great creative plan, even though he regrets having to kill albert after having met him. Yet he should not be so proud as it is his own fault he must kill this man that has only helped him. The whole story though written with incredible style is really only an homage to lacking creativity, as Tsun could have come up with a plan to allow him to save Albert's life and notify his country of the danger.
ReplyDeleteI found this story to be somewhat dull and pointless. Tsuns struggle to do what is best for his country is credible, his search for the book and the labyrinths were interesting, but I was a little disappointed by the conclusion. It seemed just a little lame that the whole conclusion of this thrilling escape was finding out that this idolized thing, is just a book of riddiles, I was imagining that it might be a giant crazy maze. Instead it was a just a book.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that bothered me about the story was that i found it hard to follow. So much was going on in the story, there were so many underlying themes that I got mixed up. I felt as though I had to go back and re-read it, which I don't find to be a good quality of literature.
The story wasn't bad, I just felt like a little bit to much was going on.
Eliza Trono
The story "Garden of Forked Paths" contains a dark and morbid tone within the narrative of events. The main character, Tsun, is seen fighting time to accomplish an important feat. The reader senses a conflict between Tsun's priorities and his ultimate decision between his duty and personal afflictions. The plot of the story is chaotic, with many intertwining ideas that are not explained until the final paragraph. The "labyrinth" mentioned in the story portrays the relevance and correlation between Tsun's emotions and his knowledge of what he should do. The path is never-ending and has no solution, it is only interrupted when Tsun stops on the path and decides to be selfless and give up his personal beliefs for his duty.
ReplyDelete"The Garden of Forked Paths", though showing the importance of the choices one makes, is rather fatalist. The narrator is faced with a combination of choices and random happenstance mixed in with a bit of fate. These combined, lead him down the metaphorical labyrinth of destiny. Though an individual can choose which direction to follow at a juncture, he must commit to the path that it leads to or risk becoming lost. The narrator experiences the chaotic, indeterminate, yet inevitable nature of fate his running from Madden and working for the Germans. In the end, he is caught, and hanged, but as the absurdists would say, we all end up dead, the unavoidable end of the labyrinth in all possible futures.
ReplyDeleteWhen first reading Borges' "Garden of Forked Paths", I found it hard to follow. However, after going back and reading it, I found that it was the theme of time that was making "Garden of Forked Paths" confusing. Borges includes events that are from the past and the present all side by side one another and also does not fill the reader in on what is happening. Yu Tsun says in the beginning of the story, "everything happens to a man precisely now. Centuries of centuries and only in the present do things happen....". Overall, once I caught onto the intricate plot I thought that it was an intricate and creative story with the different tones and styles that helped create the story. The different tones occur, for example, in the end when the outcome of Tsun is being described in a calm dialect when compared to the beginning where there was a distressed and worried tone.
ReplyDelete"Garden of Forked Paths" starts with a scene completely unrelated to the rest of the story. It begins with a tense tone, in the middle of a war, with a main character that "must flee". His plan becomes more and more apparent as the story continues. The tone also flows into three different feelings, sad or frustrated in the beginning, and then more optimistic towards the middle, then at the end of the story the main character gains a deeper understanding of himself and his ancestors. With the help of Stephen Albert the two characters build of each other's ideas and create closure to the riddle of the labyrinth. The story also unwinds as a labyrinth and the choices get smaller and smaller. In the beginning, he could of traveled to any destination but once arriving in Ashgrove his possibilities were again limited. Then once reaching Mr. Albert's house he was almost at the center of the labyrinth,(finding the actual labyrinth). AS the story progresses the reader gets a great understanding into the main characters mind and Ts'ui Pens.
ReplyDeleteBorges’ tone in “Garden of Forking Paths” is hectic. Like the metaphorical labyrinth Yu Tsun explores, the plot is a combination of unexpected twists. The story itself is embedded in a brief introduction under the guise of a classified war document. Much of it is unclear: two pages of the document are said to be missing, and Yu Tsun’s plans are unclear till the end of the story. Time and the lack of it are emphasized by Yu Tsun’s frantic pursuit, mirroring the importance of time in Ts’ui Pen’s Garden of Forking Paths. Yu Tsun’s account is a series of multiple choice decisions, and, similar to the hero of his ancestor’s novel, feels himself split at every decision. Borges’ conclusion arcs back to the beginning, like Thousand and One Nights. Through the absence of artillery, the British advance is halted five days, and through the removal of Albert, Yu Tsun communicates the answer to the riddle.
ReplyDelete"Garden of Forked Paths" started out slow, and it picked up along the way. All of the various shoking revelations and events throughout the story stunned me as strongly as the previous one had done.
ReplyDeleteThe spy is desperate and decides to use drastic measures. I thought I had everything figured out towards the beginning; just another boring story. I was surprisingly wrong in thinking this. The spy's plan was not as expected and his great-grandfather's book ended up being something else entirely from what most people had thought.
The spy killed an innocent man for a country he felt no love. Nothing ended up how I wanted it to, and I thought that it was absolutely wonderful. Most recent stories are all too similar and too predictable but this one is just too good.
With all the abnormal plot twists and fascinating character development (although minimal) Borges' "Garden of Forked Paths" should be instantly (of not already) labeled as a classic so that many teenagers to come will read it, and know that originality should not be taken for granted.
Or someting like that.
Wow. Despite what some of you other people say, I think it was really good. I think the main problem is that it's a translation, so at times the wording is clunky. Otherwise I thought it was a really well planned story. The tone is well crafted. There's enough tension to make it seem like something is wrong, but subtle enough to remain hidden until the last paragraph or so. Everything that Borges mentions in the story is relevant (the pistol, madden, the fact that the narrator is a spy). This helps keep the plot together.
ReplyDeleteThe story itself seemed rather chaotic with its organization and tone, which contributed greatly to the actual plot. The spy has been discovered and with the million desperate thoughts running through his head creates a chaos of his own. What exactly is going on in the story is not clear, since the first two pages of his letter are "gone", so the reader hits the ground running when they begin reading.
ReplyDeleteThe events in the story seemed rather disconnected until the end, when the two main occurrences were finally tied together. The first was Tsun being found out, the second, his intellectual conversation with Albert. Tsun embodies the philosophy that Albert has just presented him with and utilizes it entirely. He turns the bombing of Albert into a maze, a mini-guessing game.
The only problem I had with this short story was the fact that Tsun was able to remember every word of Albert and his dialogue when he is writing all of this in a letter...
The story "Garden of Forked Paths" is very complex for its length. Borges manages to create a deep plot with twists and subplots even in his small amount of writing. The plot in the story is ironic because the man Tsun must kill has researched Tsun's own ancestors, and believes strongly in their ideas. Tsun hesitates to shoot Albert because of his extensive knowledge of Tsui Pen's philosophy. By shooting Albert, Tsun would be killing off a valuable scholar of his own family. Therefore, Tsun sacrifices his own life by letting himself get arrested. Tsun has an epiphany when Albert is teaching him the ideas of Pen, which causes him to sacrifice himself. In order to help the Germans, Tsun must sacrifice the man who knows most about his own family, as well as himself. Borges does not give a deep reason for this sacrifice, other than the duty to one's country regardless of the price it costs. Borges uses a confused tone to emphasize the choice Tsun has to make, as well as adding darkness to it, so the reader can tell that both characters will die. The author also foreshadows the deaths of the main character by having him being pursued the entire story. The assasin clearly is well trained to follow their target, so there is no escape from the inevitable, as the author shows.
ReplyDeleteIn “Garden of Forking Paths,” Borges uses a suspenseful tone by creating a character who is a spy during World War I, and who is being chased by British authorities once his cover is blown. The story begins with the main character just barely escaping from the grasp of Captain Richard Madden. Throughout the story, the confusing, unexplained mysteries intensify the reader’s curiosity and therefore evoke the sensation of tension and anxiety. Ts’ui Pên’s confusing book and labyrinth which later turn out to be one and the same, inspire great puzzlement until their true identity and purpose is revealed. The reader is also unaware of the main character’s intentions in visiting Stephen Albert until the end of the story when his plan becomes clear.
ReplyDeleteBorges uses the continuous theme of chance throughout the story to create the element of suspension. Albert’s philosophical theory about the different “forks of life” shapes the endless possibilities of potential futures for each of the characters. Stephen Albert mentions that he and the main character may be friends in one future and foes in another. The reader is therefore kept in suspense until the main character’s purpose at Stephen Albert’s is made apparent. When the main character pulls out his gun, the reader can finally understand why their paths converged in this specific outcome of events. He traveled to Stephen Albert’s house for no other reason than to kill him and the reader can safely conclude that the two men are not friends down this fork of the future.
The beginning of the story can be confusing, as Borges throws the reader into the middle of a historical text missing an introduction. Immediately, we are thrust into the head of a German spy, a man with unclear intentions and words full of fear for a dangerous pursuer. The middle of the story sees the introduction of the eccentric Stephen Albert, the concept of the garden of forking paths, and a shift in tone, as the Tsun moves his focus from his fleeing to a discussion about a concept unrelated to his mission. The fearfulness is dropped in favor of a more curious, albeit somewhat disturbed tone. Tsun's purpose is made clear to the reader at the end when he determines a path for himself to follow, though that path leaves him with much melancholy and remorse, which is evident from the tone at the end.
ReplyDeleteMuch like the Garden of Forking Paths described by Stephen Albert, the short story itself is somewhat of a riddle. The reader spends the entire story following a narrator whose goal is unknown until the very end. The reader also does not know whether or not the narrator is reliable, as the first part of the narrative is missing and a factual mistake in the beginning is pointed out by a footnote. Was the entire tale mere fiction? Is it an alternate path to explain the historical event mentioned within the first few sentences? Borges leaves this up to the reader to conclude.
GK Myers-
ReplyDeleteAt first, when reading “Garden of Forking Paths” I was completely confused because the plot and theme was rather hard to follow. When I reread it, however, I found that the thing that Yu Tsu explores in the story, the labyrinth, is meant to show not only the complexity of life but the complexity of the story. The labyrinth is a great representation of life, because in it they talk about the different paths in lives and in the end the main character takes one path. I found it a shock when Albert died and, of course, I did not like it, I found that Albert seemed to try and help the main character, and then in turn, kills Albert. The main character was obviously close to his family and agreed with his family’s idea that Yu Tsu’s ideas should not have been published, however this is something that Albert should have been killed over. However the plot twists and the confusion, causes the reader to go back and read it again, to see the complexities and questioning parts of the story that allows for the reader to open up and see the true part of the story.
“Garden of Forking Paths” is a story that as it develops you are able to understand it fully. At the beginning, I had some trouble following it, but as the story went on, the storyline became clearer in my mind. The tone given by Borge is one of desperation and that of a hunted man. The main character of the story being a spy adds up to this element. Throughout much of the beginning Tsun, shows hesitation towards taking any actions to save his life. He knows that he is being hunted yet at first he doesn’t take any initiative to do anything about it. He simply allows his mind to be flooded with numberless thoughts. To me at first Tsun character seems slow and timid, but towards the end he gains boldness and audacity, at least enough to kill a man. This shift between the character’s reactions adds to the feel of the story.
ReplyDeleteSomething that I found rather curious and somewhat confused by is the way he decided to lead his fate. He knew he would be hunted by Captain Madden, and that he would face arrestment or murder, yet instead of fleeing away to a foreign land, he goes in search of Sinologist Stephen Albert. For Tsun, being arrested was an accomplishment and triumph. Furthermore, he seems to have certain faith in the fate. Especially when he is in the train, and is missed by Captain Madden, he says that it is an “accident of fate.” This points to the belief that he believes in mystical forces as did his ancestor.
“Garden of Forking Paths,” overall was a good and intriguing story, full of mystery. As a reader, I can say that it is filled with unexpected events, which is what makes it a good story. When first read, the reader cannot make any finals conclusions or predictions of what might happen until one has read it all.
I thought this story was fascinating. Although most writing that deals with philosophical issues has no real plot, this story managed to be eventful while still thought-provoking. Details casually mentioned at the beginning of the story actually became relevant towards the end. All the events take place in logical order and the reader is almost surprised to find a deeper meaning to the story. In the story, when the professor and the man are discussing the unsolvable labyrinth, their thought process and logical problem solving help the reader to truly understand the deeper meaning of the story, unlike many works in which the philosophical aspect is thrown out at the reader and they have to develop their own explanation and reasoning. In this way, the reader does not become confused but also still has the insight from the story. The plot adds an element of thrill to the story, but also helps give a logical sequence to the events. I think the intricate plot is what makes this story so captivating.
ReplyDeleteI feel completely obligated to say something really serious and deep here.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I found this story to be too long to prove the point. It's about an Asian man who has one bullet to secretly tell his people (I don't remember which side he was trying to tell) that the city they need to bomb is Albert.
Somehow, I'm not sure how, but the plot went from him running from a man who is coming to kill him (which was exciting) to another man telling him a story about all possible outcomes of the future. It completely killed the rhythm of the story in my opinion. It was completely irrelevant by the end. He shoots the man whose name is Albert. Coincidentally the cities name is Albert too! They figure it out and bomb the city. The entire side story about a man who writes a book with 400 people is useless to the story. It just takes up space and makes you think.
Then you're jerked back to the real plot, and the story ends. Without it, the story would have been concise, but much easier to read and exciting.
"The Garden of Forking Paths" is a well-written and fascinating short story. I found it to be incisive and interesting. Borges main character, Tsun, is a spy who has been "made" and is on a desperate mission to convey his message to his masters before he is captured and killed by Captain Madden. For the first half of the story, Borges' writing is chaotic and panicked, reflecting the attititude of Tsun as he struggles to find his path. Borges adds strange details and leaves others out to create a confusing and worrying atmosphere (i.e. the random contents of Tsun's pockets, other than the gun). During his strange discussion with Stephen Albert, the tone turns inquisitive and thoughtful, to show Tsun's changed attitude. This masterful manipulation of prose demonstrates Borges' superior writing style.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed being swept into the hectic story with its many intricacies, none of which were quite clear till the very end. Borges' presents many strange mysteries, like Tsun's motivation for meeting Stephen Albert, and the connection between the two that is never fully explained. These, as well as Borges' beautiful writing, drew me into the story and pulled me along through Tsun's resigned yet panicked escape and his strange conversation with the man he went to kill.
Reading "Garden of Forking Paths" was like a loose string. The vauge, rushed voice of Tsun and missing details at the beginning made it hard for me to connect the two ends. As the story rushed on, however, I found that everything came together beautifully, and I was able to knot up the loose ends. I felt that no details were mentioned, or omitted, without importance. The story's progression left me with questions, that were satisfyingly adressed by Tsu's philosophical musings by the end. I liked that the story came to a neat end, and I think it was beautifully written.
ReplyDelete"Garden of Forked paths is an interesting story that is a mixture of philosophy and story. The main charachter in the story Tsun must kill a man that he ends up feeling tied too in a way as well. The man Stephen Albert has researched Tsun's ancestor and knows a considerable amount about him and the stories he wrote. Tsun feels a connection with Stephen because of this and to add to this Stephen Albert also vindicates his ancestor in the eyes of tsun by showing tsun that his ancestor's novel really did make sense. The idea that gets tossed around in the story, that in one dimmension I'm your friend and in the other I'm your enemy fits the story well, because in one sense Tsun does feel a connection to Stephen but he also knows that he must kill him.
ReplyDelete"The Garden of Forking Paths" seems to me that perfect compromise between a compelling potboiler of a story (something I love) and the plodding existentialist stories we have read of late. (Not that said stories were completely unenjoyable- only that they did not exactly get the heart racing.) Though the opening reference to a historical text, and following "document" with missing pages created some confusion, that tie to the real world gives the experience immediacy, not to mention allows Borges to immerse the reader completely without having to wade through backstory. What follows is remarkable: he opens with high stakes and action, yet when he diverts to discuss Yu Tsun's grandfather's theory of alternate realities, never loses his original steam, and perfectly blends noir and philosophy to the point that one cannot distinguish one from the other.
ReplyDeleteThe “Garden of Forking Paths” creates a man who is stuck in a situation which to him has but one end. In his mind, he has a predetermined end of being arrested, but wishes to prove himself before then. Yu Tsun is placed into a series of events where he must contact his superiors and evade capture for at least that long. In doing so, he travels to Stephen Albert and talks with him about his ancestor’s book before sending the message by killing him, and finally getting arrested. What makes Tsun’s journey interesting is at the end, Albert tells him of multiple times and parallel universes. Tsun begins to see what he had previously thought to be a nonsensical story of heroes dying and resurrecting into a thought out set of circumstances that were changed by seemingly insignificant events. This brings new light to the way that Yu Tsun traveled to Albert. From the beginning, Tsun seemed to be traveling a predetermined path, where Albert was the only name in the phonebook that was usable, that the children knew that Tsun was going to Albert and directed him to go left, which Tsun comments on the similarity to finding the center of a labyrinth. As Tsun approaches Albert, he becomes engrossed in a discussion about his ancestor’s theory of time and the story comes to standstill as the riddle of the story is explained. This discussion brings a new set of unexplained questions of whether Tsun and Albert were merely acting through one of the possible paths, or that in another world, in another time, they were truly friends.
ReplyDeleteThe story is a puzzle that could not be fully understood because the first two pages of the letter were missing. From Tsun’s primary actions, he almost implies that he is in fact just passing on a message to be delivered. The method of delivery is left unknown until the end when the trigger is pulled. In the beginning there was room to interpret that Tsun’s destination also contained a German agent, and in the end there is implied that according to Tsun’s ancestor, in another time Albert did not die. Borges writes a complex, many-layered story where there are always questions of what could have been.
Ferdman.
ReplyDeleteThis is the end of the road. His last day to be useful to the Chief has come. His last day to live, and one last bullet lies in his revolver. The last coin in Yu Tsun's pocket has been tossed to the shadowed faces of the Ashgrove children. There are merely hours left to change the course of the war he does not care about through careful planning and minute calculations - but philosophical and wandering thoughts drift through his mind. These thoughts of time and space bring his mind to rest on his ancestor who created a labyrinth. Why now? And right before Stephen Albert, the random stranger who happens to bear the name Albert, tells him all of the secrets of this misunderstood ancestor? How the hell did Stephen Albert, the man who became a Sinologist and studied Ts’ui Pên, end up being the one person who could help Germany get a leg up in the war at hand? F*** that s***. (sorry). Perhaps none of it is as amazing as it seems - all of the talk about time and infinite possibilities was only based off of the musings of some ancient man. But Yu Tsun felt it somehow, before he met Albert. As he walked toward the house he noticed that “the evening was at once intimate and infinite.” There are so many coincidences in this short story that I am forced to conclude that they were placed in it with the purpose of reinforcing the idea of intertwining and bifurcating paths of time. I like this story, and the complex picture of time that it gives hangs above my mind - an epiphany just out of reach. The spy/ wartime story that it is enclosed in is also entertaining, with an extremely satisfying and clever twist of an ending.
I liked The Garden of Forking Paths a lot, it was very interesting, and the plot kept me on edge throughout the entire story. I don’t think I could have read it through in more than one sitting because it kept me so on edge. I liked how the fact that Yu Tsun was going to “suffer the same fate” as his friend was revealed in the very beginning of the story, it really made me wonder if he really would or not, and helped create the suspense that persisted throughout the story. This story twisted and turned throughout like a maze and made it impossible to predict what would happen next. And just when I thought something would happen one way, it would happen in an entirely different and completely unpredictable way. Though it appeared that Yu Tsun’s motives were revealed at the very beginning, most of his actual motives and goals were kept from the reader until the very end, and even then when they were revealed, I could never have predicted the ending. This story was very fast paced and unpredictable, very unlike any short story I have read before. I would never have thought it would be possible to fit such a complex and twisting plot in to such a short story. Borges is no doubt an excellent and clever writer.
ReplyDeleteThis was of the most confusing and complex short stories I have ever read, and I think I could read it many more times before it lost its appeal. Out of all of the short stories we have read in class, this one is my favorite.
Irvin you are very smart. I like your response
ReplyDeleteThe plot is simply a vessel for the idea of the garden of the forking paths. Not only does it provide a pleasant backdrop for the discussion between Yu Tsun and Stephen Albert on the idea, but it also gives an illustration of that idea. The reader feels the innumerable paths of the garden in the first part of the story, even if he does not realize it. Borges created an incredibly chaotic and convoluted tone to his story by dropping us in media res into a fairly complicated plot. Eventually, at the climax of the story, the reader is allowed to see the garden. He can see the actions and reactions, the causes and effects which all sum up to this final, bloody total. If Tsun had found a few shillings less in his pockets. If a different Albert came first in the phonebook. If Madden had been just a little bit faster and caught that train. If the garden of the forking paths was made any differently, Stephen Albert have lived a little longer.
ReplyDeleteThe "Garden of Forking Paths" opens with a hurried situation, an agent spy realizing his rival has tracked down his phone call. There is a sense of immediate panic as thought's race through Tsun's mind, and he contemplates the next steps of a dangerous mission. Borges has incorporated a significant amount of velocity, anxiety, and adrenaline into the plot, speeding up the setting into a spiral of disorientation and confusion. This technique helps model the inner spirit of Tsun, an agent on a mission of life or death. The hastily-put-together introduction and extremely brief historical description ensues for the majority of the story. The reader can only make the light distinguishment that there is a Dr. Albert, a Tsun, and a bunch of books meaning nothing but puzzles and riddles. It's like the consciousness of a lost adventurer inside a massive labyrinth where every single forking path would only lead to another fork in the dirt. It is not until the end of the story, when the mission is done and successful that Borges finally reveals the outcome of the agenda and Tsun's final fate. A bunch of anxiety and curiosity concludes with the last few paragraphs, the concluding feeling when one makes it out of a labyrinth, understanding of the surrounding again. Readers finally know the interior details of the mission: to communicate to German officials of a potential threat.
ReplyDeleteI loved the story. The way the story was set up, the description of the main character's despair and anxiety, made it seem as if it would be a story about the last days of a doomed man. He did end up doomed, but the way he killed Albert in order to send a message to Germany was completely unexpected, and therefore amazing. When I read a story, most of my judgments on whether I liked it or not are based off the ending. Therefore, the brilliantly created ending makes this story a perfect one.
ReplyDeleteThe way that the chief who arrests Yu Tsun seem almost to pop out of nowhere right before he kills Albert and the way Yu Tsun so conveniently meets Albert seem almost dream-like, which is supported by other coincidences. This mood pervades the story and makes me more inclined to just let the story play out without questioning its logic. I highly appreciate how this story is so persuasive.
The thoughts of the character no doubt created tone, along with his often bleak surroundings. Since all I had to construct the story with was his desperate thoughts, it framed how I read the story and viewed the events that the author described. Therefore, when Yu Tsun became desperate, the tone became high-paced and when he came to grips with his execution, there was an almost sarcastic, gloomy tone. I liked this. It seems appropriate, and even correct, for the entire story (and therefore tone) to be based on the perspective of the main character when it is in first person.
-Clara Yoon
I found that "Garden of Forked Paths" was hard to follow, as the plot quickly jumps from a spy trying to convey a message to his superiors to the complexity of a labyrinth that encompasses all time. Everything was so random, and the little snippets of information were added that had no relation to Tsun’s mission. Yet as the story comes to a close, everything begins to tie together, and the earlier complexity of the story becomes clear. All actions and decisions made by Tsun and the other characters are carefully plotted out in order to add to the overall meaning of the story. The intricate nature of the plot only adds to the logical and rational tone of the story. The philosophical discussion between Albert and Tsun only brings an even more logical tone to the story. When Tsun shoots Albert to convey his message, their discussion of alternate realities becomes more apparent. Through their discussion, you almost forget about Tsun’s true purpose, as the labyrinth quickly steals your attention with its many components, all of which happen at the same time. The many details included in the story at first divert your attention, but all hold some meaning as the story comes to its close.
ReplyDeleteI found this story too confusing to actually analyze it. "Garden of Forked Paths" begins its story, with a story of its own, unimportant to the entire plot, or it seemed to me that way. I found the entire story...pretty boring.... so it was pretty boring and hard to follow...deep analysis.
ReplyDeleteI admit that I had to read a synopsis after reading it the first time because everything was a little confusing. Overall I liked this story because of the interesting views of time and infinite cycles. I think that I would enjoy reading Ts’ui Pen’s “The Garden of Forking Paths.” Usually I do not enjoy reading about other people’s personal philosophies because they are too complex and I am not able to understand their thought process, but in this case, Yu Tsun’s ancestor tackles the many questions about time and infinity that we still do today which makes it more relatable.
ReplyDeleteJust from looking at the story head on, I am not sure if there is a defined tone because it transforms as the story progresses, and Borges creates different tones that depend on what is happening in the story. In the beginning when Yu Tsun is trying to escape and get to Ashgrove, the tone is like an adrenaline rush because Yu has to remain invisible but there is always the chance that he could get caught. Then as he is walking to the Dr.’s house, the detail and soft description of the surrounding setting makes the tone seem calm. As the remainder of the story unfolds, the tone is focused on Albert’s admiration and intrigue with Ts’ui Pen’s book and letter and finally the tone is influenced again by the murder of Albert.
I do not find the plot tightly wound, but I do find it challenging. Tsun has the simple job of killing this man for the Germans, but appears faced with the inner conflict to actually go through with it because of his connection to Dr. Albert. The last “instantaneous” act of shooting Albert reminds me of when Mersault shoots the Arab and has this blank , indifferent reaction almost like a reflex. The only difference is that Tsun went there with the premeditated intention to kill Dr. Albert. I thought that was not very nice of him considering Albert’s dedication and admiration of Ts’ui Pen’s work, and the fact that there were probably other Albert’s in the phonebook that he could have killed instead and still have gotten the message to Berlin.
This, like any other short story we have gotten starts off in halfway through something, (in this case a history book/essay), even going so far as to mention the first 2 pages are missing. However, as a short story, the general plot is revealed in the first given page: that Tsun is a German spy who needs to inform his superiors of a British artillery site. What catches my interest is how the story starts as almost a military document with the information given before it actually begins. This both solves and creates a problem. It answers the question of what this story's context is, yet makes the reader ask why the writing has narrative in that case. This causes the audience to have to choose one situation or the other.
ReplyDeleteThe main character’s interest in labyrinths stands to compliment the general structure of the plot. In a story which twists and turns through abrupt and at times unexpected events, such as that of Dr. Albert’s murder, the use of this is easily appropriate. Running from Captain Richard Madden, the narrator brings the reader on a journey ridden with a tone of anxiety. The narrator’s traveling upon a road which “kept descending and branching off” is a clear connection to one of the story’s primary themes: destiny. In his quest to learn more about his relative Ts’ui Pen, the main character is searching for a deeper level of his own destiny. Inversely, his mission to kill Dr. Albert is consistently on his mind, despite any distractions caused through his inquiry on his ancestry. When Madden does find and arrest him, consequently, he is not met with disappointment but instead fulfillment, as he had murdered Dr. Albert and learned more about himself in the process. He describes his death as “unreal and unimportant,” which lifts the anxious tone from upon the reader and sets one instead of fulfillment.
ReplyDelete--Alec Herskowitz
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ReplyDelete"The Garden of Forking Paths" can be separated into two parts characterized by the tone. At the beginning of the story, the tone can be described as anxious. The threat and possibility that Madden could appear at any moment to arrest the protagonist adds a certain hurried feeling to the events of the text as well as a feeling of anxiety as the reader considers the possibility of the protagonist running out of time. Though this threat is still apparent in the second part of the story, the tone relaxes. As the protagonist sits and discusses with Albert, the discussion and feeling is confusingly calm. One would expect for the Borge to intensify the suspense and threat of Madden as his appearance gets closer. However, the calm tone benefits the story in the end, adding a slight element of surprise as Madden finally makes his arrival.
ReplyDeleteI was interested in this tone change, but thought that it benefited the overall progression of the story. Another aspect of the story that intrigued me was when the protagonist shoots Albert. I found this action completely surprising and a little out of place. Though some say this was a poor choice, I liked the astounding element that it provided to readers. The story was cleverly written as everything tied together in the end and Borge kept the reader at a slightly awkward mind frame throughout the story, which I admired for being risky and new.
-Hannah Roberts
Ari Hausman-Cohen
ReplyDeleteOne of the first things I noticed about the story was Borges’s creative “in medias res” start. First, the story itself began in the middle, not just of the story, but also of the sentence. I felt this contributed to the idea of an “in medias res” beginning, because the reader was thrown directly into the story, without any easing in at all. Second, I also appreciated the “historical” introduction. This allowed Borges to maintain his beginning in the middle, but provide the reader with a bit of information beforehand, which was later tied into the story, giving the reader an “aha!” moment when he realizes the connection.
I found it ironic that the story was (partially) about how the narrator’s ancestor had set out to create “a maze in which all men would lose themselves”, yet this supposedly unsolvable labyrinth is described and understood by both the reader and narrator in a matter of a few paragraphs. I was reminded of a video describing the ancestor’s phenomenon, and even going a few steps further (search google video for “imagining the 10th dimension”, the ancestor stops around the 7th dimension). While the idea is certainly ingenious, and a complex premise for a novel, it is not so confusing as to be considered a labyrinth. By contrast, however, knowing this made the narrator’s way of sending out his information seem more impressive.
As many other people have pointed out, there are many similarities between the ancestor’s book and Borges’s story. The one that stood out the most to me was the general composition. Like the ancestor won’t be considered a mere novelist, by writing philosophy into the greater part of his book, so does Borges fill a decent part of his short story with discussion of theory, of the seventh dimension.
There was nothing particularly striking about the tone, though it kept me well involved throughout the story. Thus, it has an intriguing nature, with a bit of informative underlying it. The situational irony, of the narrator being leisurely while under pursuit, puts the reader at ease. If the narrator isn’t worried, why should the reader be? This creates a more relaxed environment for Borges’s philosophical conversation to take place in.
Overall, this was a good story. It was thoughtful on the author’s part, and kept the reader intrigued, which is a great deal to be done by a story so short.
“Garden of Forking Paths”
ReplyDeleteThis story was very intriguing to me. I really enjoyed it, as a deviation from the usual type of literature that I read. The story was confusing at times, but it was really interesting, and I think just part of the style that Borges decided to write in, with long-winded sentences and twisting plots.
The main thing that stuck out most to me from this story was the beginning. I thought it was interesting how it seems to start in the middle of a story, where the author is assuming that the reader already knows what they are talking about. I think that is a very good way to get the reader hooked from the very beginning, because one would be compelled to continue reading to figure out what is going on. The second thing that stuck out to me was the analogy used that a book is like a labyrinth. I think that this is a great image for a piece of writing, something that has been set out and must be navigated by someone completely new to it. This phrase is particularly fitting for this very piece of work, seeing as how it is in itself quite confusing and twisted, just like a labyrinth.
I enjoyed this story a great deal, especially the idea of the narrator’s hidden motive of going to visit Stephen Albert. The story follows a definite plot line, but none of Tsun’s actions are explained until the last few sentences. It is as if in the last three sentences, Borges rolls the story up into a small ball- suddenly everything in the story fits into those sentences, almost like a puzzle being solved. I felt as if the tone became almost calm towards the end of the story. As Tsun was sitting and talking with Albert, there was a feeling of tranquility, albeit a certain lurking feeling in the back of the mind created by Tsun’s earlier statement that his irrevocable decision could wait. It was an almost eerie calm, as if the reader was waiting for this decision to pop up any moment or was being lulled into a false sense of security. Borges controls the tone in this story through his characters’ thoughts. When Tsun is panicking, the tone is desperate. When he is calm, the tone is calm as well. Borges also keeps the reader guessing at Tsun’s motives. During the time Tsun is with Albert, there is a question that overshadows their entire conversation- Albert keeps talking, but the reader is wondering why Tsun is there. This only becomes clear in the last paragraph. Overall, I thought this story was an intriguing one, and I was touched by Tsun’s rather weak sense of victory at the end, as well as his sense of horror and loss.
ReplyDeleteThough the beginning took an incredibly long time to read, and rest began to unfold for me, as at first I did not understand what was going on. Borges writes a bit of history about Tsun and his job as a spy for the Germans and that was misleading for me because I thought, "how can that relate to a garden?" More than halfway through the story, Borges seems to almost rush in his plot on purpose to get to the ending, which completely changed my thoughts about Tsun. The ending was also rushed but it served as the main frame-point of the story, the part where everything comes together and finally makes sense (!!). From the three times that I have read this story, I was not able to tell what tone Borges was writing in because of the plot's awkwardness and his writing being straightforward than anything.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I did not enjoy this reading all that much, unlike Araby which was much more engaging and everything seemed to be in a better flow. Especially the very first page of this story, which added to my confusion of the plot. More the plot, though, the characters themselves were hard to decipher and it seemed almost impossible to connect them to the labyrinth or the letter & everything else they were involved in. What really drew me into reading this story multiple times was Tsun's desicion to sacrifice himself to tell the Germans of the city they should attack, and I thought it was amazing how a main character could ever think like that, almost destroying the whole basic association modern readers have with main characters.
brigeda says:
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started reading I wasn't sure if I liked the story or not. The beginning was hectic, and at times I wasn't exactly sure what was going on. I believe Borges uses this frantic tone to help the reader get inside the narrator's head-he's been through a lot with the war, and would naturally have quite a few things on his mind-not to mention how he's awaiting his grim fate...
In this story, the beginning is more like the middle, so the audience would want to continue reading to find out what events took place before and events took place after. I found myself liking it more towards the end, as the tone becomes more serene and everything seems to fall in to place. Most short stories, the ones I have read at least, seem to travel at the same pace, and tend to get boring a little quickly. I liked Borges's story because it was something different.
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ReplyDeleteBorges’ story maintains a tone of calm disorganization. The story contains some very direct actions that can confuse the reader at times, yet the character taking the actions never acts on pure emotion or seems to lose control. The story is similar to that of a stream of consciousness and before and during the actions, the character is thinking each thing through calmly. This calm tone is also brought on by the seriousness of the author in his reflections. An example of this is when the main character is arrested and he calmly took the responsibility for his actions. As he did this, he felt content with his actions and thus, his savageness in the killing was balanced out with the calm and acceptance the character shares in regards to the death.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the entire story, the main character is certain he is going to get captured by the man following him, which creates an interesting tone. The story is hectic, and while there's a lot going on, it's apparent that the author made it so the story would seem busy and complicated to add to the feelings of the narrator. I didn't understand the ending, where he shoots Albert, beyond the point that he was sure already that he was going to be arrested. The nonchalant way that he describes the shooting runs with the tone of the rest of the story, even though the narrator has now ended someone's life, gotten caught, and wound up in prison. This struck me as a little weird, and I'm not sure if I understand the meaning of the story very deeply.
ReplyDeleteI dislike the ending of "The Garden of Forking Paths" because it happened so quickly. Granted, the elliptical style, that finally connected the beginning part of the story to that of the labyrinth, was satisfying. It feels as though there must be some understanding gained from the encounter with Stephen Albert that applies to the exterior story involving Richard Madden in World War I. It seems as though the hint is that time can offer infinite possible ends to a story which may suggest that things written into the WWI story did not occur as was written or could not have, in some other time.
ReplyDeleteLike in many of the other stories that we've read, recently, the main character seems to hold a rather unusual view of life which makes his death seem insignificant to the rest of the world. One may argue that there was wisdom that died with him, but we read the story of it, so there is no need, as far as the continuation of the ideas is concerned, for this character to live. Borges doesn't give his readers any real emotional attachment to the characters. The most likable might be Stephen Albert in his archetypal Mentor's role, but even he is lost with little ceremony.
Although I would have been upset, were the story longer, for then it would have been a very disappointing end to have been so abrupt, I do feel as though not enough actually happened. Similar to the train taken earlier in the story, the tale seems to gain steam. It begins very slowly, but ends in a quick pace as various events collide chaotically.
At the end, the story unwraps itself and reveals the mystery of why the narrator went to see Albert. Borges created a more mysterious tone in the end by using what Albert had said earlier: that the world held endless possibilities that each interacted to form more outcomes. Before all of this was mentioned, the story had a rushed and hurried tone to it, the narrator was going through events recklessly. This hurried tone was created in order to show that the narrator's time was limited, and that the story had to be drawn to an end quickly. And the story did end quickly, Albert was killed and the narrator was arrested. The death of Albert just confirmed the pointlessness of one's life, that one death is lost in the maze we call life. The abrupt end backed up Albert's thoughts that anything could happen. The narrator's choices all reflected the "labyrinth" theme, all of which led to more choices and more paths. This story shows that with so many choices to make, there are an infinite number of outcomes.
ReplyDeleteSadie Wolfe:
ReplyDeleteThis story starts abruptly, in the middle of a transcript with little introduction. After rereading the first couple of pages, I was able to understand how and why I was reading a disposition of a man and why there were two pages missing.The introduction gave it a military feel, which was fitting because the overall motive of Yu Tsun was to relay information through a complicated maze of hints to the German military. After I finally understood this, I was intrigued. So many questions had arose from these first pages, and in retrospect I realize they weren't answered until the end, when the importance of Stephen Albert, the forking paths, the labyrinth, life, time, coincidences and fate was revealed. Just as Yu Tsun "felt [him]self cut off from the world, an abstract spectator" when he briefly evaded Richard Madden, I felt this way as Tsun spoke about his secret mission.
As Yu Tsun traveled to Ashgrove, he contemplated his imminent death, and seemed to know and almost accept this fate. Even before this he knew that he would die, condemned to hang. This lead him to think about his relative whose mysterious labyrinth was a conundrum to many. Once he spoke to Stephen Albert about his relative, whose extensive knowledge seemed to be just a coincidence, two fates (one of Albert and one of Tsun) were suddenly intertwined. When he shot Albert, giving the crucial information to the Germans which seemed to be his accomplishment in life, he was captured and condemned by Richard Madden and his mission was completed but his heart was sick and he knew this particular fate was not the one he should have created.
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ReplyDeleteThe Garden of Forking Paths starts out with a sort of hectic tone, with lots of mention of how little time there is left and how fast decisions are being made. But as it progresses, it slows down. He begins to relax as he's walking to Albert's house,and once he gets there he is much less rushed. He calmly sits down and listens to him talk about the book, which never mentions time. I thought it was kind of funny how at the beginning, the main character was constantly mentioning time, and then he discovers his ancestor wrote this elaborate novel on the complexities of time, and how really anything is happening at one given moment, sort of like alternate universes. After he killed Albert, I thought that maybe he was thinking about how it could have turned out differently in another time. I think after hearing all about his ancestor's book, that's what I would be thinking.
ReplyDeleteThis short story reminded me strongly of different theories of quantum mechanics and parallel universes. The main character makes several major decisions throughout the story that, if changed, would create a very different plotline. These radically contrasting alternatives undoubtedly "forked" off into other parallel universes with different outcomes. My largest question about the story was what those other worlds would be like.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading "The Garden Of Forking Paths" because it is basically a retelling of one of my favorite sci-fi themes, that of multiple universes. Although it's not my favorite type of storytelling, that is, mostly dialogue and inner exposition-based, the concepts explored in it with typical Borges style are really interesting. The way the action accelerated rapidly toward the end of the story reminded me of a tightly-coiled spiral, although looking back on the story with its theme in mind, it could also be compared to reaching the very center of a maze. The story's characters as well as its plot are explored in unique ways, so even though the multiple universe theory is not new to me, I felt that the story being told was original and it didn't bore me. All in all, it was a very cool read.
ReplyDeleteIn "The Garden of Forking Paths", Borges creates a scattered and disorganized tone, with Tsun's thought pattern and the sequence of events in the story. It maintains a narrative tone similar to a stream of consciousness, but with more external actions. This disorganized tone, however, is eliminated near the end of the story, where information is given that ties together all of the previous events. And although Tsun acts calm throughout the the story, the tone is the opposite, making the reader feel anxious. This anxiousness is caused by the anticipation of Tsun being discovered and persecuted, as well as the abnormal calmness of Tsun. The confused calmness leads the reader to question the motives behind Tsun's actions throughout the story, until the end when it is explained.
ReplyDeleteThe labyrinth is the physical representation of how the story turns in unexpected directions until the reader reaches the end and all is explained. Tsun's obsession with this labyrinth explains why he is the center point of this confusion.
The disappointing thing about short stories is that there is not time for any sort of momentum to evolve, as would in a novel. If you are to walk away from the story impressed or at least entertained, the onus is on the writer to either present something so graphically horrific (cf. poe or hawthorne) or gimmicky/clever (o. henry and borges, like in the Library of Babel) that it makes the single sitting of reading worthwhile. As such, stories like TGOFP seem a bit kooky with whole book/labyrinth duality, and then the surprise ending that the whole reason for killing stephen was a this commnicative plan, all of the metaphysical junk was just one massive red herring. Ah well. It was still, nevertheless, rather entertaining, and thought-provoking. The tone seemed intentionally elusive, as the whole story worked towards the discovery of the narrator's intent.
ReplyDeleteThough the plot winded significantly throughout short portions of the story, the overall plot and purpose of the story was conveyed well. Many minute details may fly over the reader's head, but the general plot was clear after only two readings.
ReplyDeleteBy the end of the short story, the author does not clearly portray Yu Tsun as either a righteous protagonist or a villainous protagonist because it all comes down to the reader. To many, Tsun can be seen as a hero because he did what he needed to for his country and, more emphasized in the novel, did what he needed to for his race. He could, however, be seen as evil because he killed a man he so extensively fraternized with for the mere possibility that his commander would read the headline and know what city he had to bomb.
The title, "The Garden of Forking Paths" refers to two things mentioned in the story. The first is his heritage and his upbringing in Chinese gardens (a factor that affected his decision). The other is the decision he makes of killing the man with which he bonded. He could do the right thing for either his new friend or his nation. In other words, he hit a fork in the road.
After reading this short story through once, I was disappointed at the end when Tsun shot Albert and decided to more or less let Madden arrest him instead of putting up a fight. Until then, the main character had made it seem like surrendering to Madden would be the worst choice possible, and created an overwhelmingly tense and anxious mood. Not only did Albert seem to have answers to Tsun's internal questions, but he also held a strategically important place, knowing the in's and out's of the labyrinth in which his enemy could've gotten lost in. I'm not exactly sure how to describe what tone the author creates but the picture that comes to mind, partially like the story, is of a sneaky spy holding a gun at eye level explaining his situation as quietly, quickly, and thoroughly as possible with a low smooth voice to an innocent bystander who is dodging the opposing gunfire while making sure his enemies were in his range of view. This especially presents itself in the beginning with the history of Tsun's ancestor and Madden. Throughout the story, however, there was also a feeling of unawareness as the readers seemed to hold a blind spot to one or more pieces of information at every step.
ReplyDeleteI read this short story several times through before coming to a conclusion on the characters and what exactly the story was trying to convey. After reading it, I realized that I did actually enjoy the story, not because it is a riveting tale (it’s really somewhat tame for a recount of murder) but because of what the story provokes in its reader. By introducing the reader to the many forking paths, the author brings about a change in the readers consciousness. The story is thought provoking in an clear way that is refreshing in a genre that is usually plagued by poorly disguised talk of morality. In general I also liked the idea that the author was presenting. The idea of time as something that is transient is interesting since we thing of time as a single line of solidarity.
ReplyDeleteBorges ties the whole story together by omitting the first two pages of Tsun's papers, making Tsun a character who jumps right into the midst of chaos. Being a spy, his life is much like the labyrinth-book discussed in the story: Tsun has numerous options that could add up to anything, but he only chooses which path to take as he cannot create the paths themselves. Borges conveyed this in the story very well by making everything happen either tightly wound (sequentially speaking) or all at once. He also does a spectacular job of closing the piece with a literal bang. The story reminds me of The Stranger, as we know his death is eminent, but we will never actually read-witness it.
ReplyDeleteFinally, I appreciated how Borges kept Tsun calm for the most part until the very end when he assassinates Stephen Albert. Tsun's scorn for the world in the last sentence truly encapsulates all the events throughout the rest of the story.
The Garden of Forking Paths
ReplyDeleteI liked the form of the story. The fact that it was a partially recovered document dictated and signed by a man who may have caused an insignificant delay in a British offensive in World War II effectively created an aura of mystery that almost appeared as if it were magical and governed by unearthly laws. Indeed, the focus on the ancestor of Tsun reminded me of the ancestral worship unique to Chinese families, which claimed descent from quasi-legendary figures that, consulted regularly by the patriarch, maintained an ongoing interest in the temporal affairs of the present family. This further clarified the mood. The ambitions of Tsun almost seemed to contradict the early modern Chinese society’s expectations for its individuals, who were coaxed into subordinating to the state instead of attempting to elevate their status, as he was trying to do by successfully providing the Germans with intelligence.
The plot was well developed. The story was tense throughout, even during the long and apparently relaxed dialogue between Tsun and Albert. The motif of the labyrinth made the ending almost inevitable. Tsun goes through a metaphorical labyrinth, in his avoidance of Madden and in his trip to Albert’s. He leaves the comforts of everyday life to attempt to communicate intelligence, knowing that he is being pursued. The inevitability of his capture pervades the whole story. In effect, Tsun “takes only left turns” in this maze he wittingly entered, hoping to reach the center, and then realizing that he is more trapped and lost, being forced to choose one of the many paths open to him. He decides to shoot Albert and, with a sense of achievement, face death.
Josh Trubowitz
ReplyDeleteMuch like the name of the story, the plot is a twisting, forking one. With the anxious and even ominous tone, the reader imagines that any action can have any result (as is explored when the narrator and Albert discuss parallel universes), that everything hangs in a delicate balance. Our possible misinterpretation of time as absolute leads us to question the truth of our own existence. All is not as it seems, the universe is a labyrinth of forking paths.
For me, this was an interesting new perspective of our life. We base truth off of our own experience, but this short story, among other themes, made me question the validity of what I see and think that I know about life.
If I had not read “Garden of Forking Paths” without recognizing it first as a formal document of history, my mind would have been uprooted from the logic on which it stood. The most notable characteristic of the story is the elusive labyrinth, which is the mind of Tsun. Throughout the story, there is not much going on until the end where the Tsun finally kills the Madden. Without the dialogue between Tsun and Madden along with Tsun’s personal labyrinth, the death of Madden would seem rather out of place. The choice of killing Madden rises from the inner struggle and the sense of being trapped within the Labyrinth. In the eyes of Tsun, the only way out was to kill Madden. Tsun acknowledges this when he says “I had no other course open to me than to kill someone in that name.” The overall feeling is that every action cannot be reversed. Every event within “Garden of Forking Paths” holds some significance in the overall presentation of the story. The overall story makes me think of a mouse in a maze, trying to find the cheese. The major difference though is that Tsun cannot turn back once he finds the cheese, he has to shoot it.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to use one word to describe this short story, I would use the word "Wow". The plot, combined with the intricate yet infinite elements of the characters keeps the reader literally guessing until the end. Even at the end, when the narrator sounded to Germany the name of the city, some loose ends were not tied up. For example, why has this "sickness of the heart" plagued the narrator? Perhaps the reason is because he lost his mind as a spy, but the story does not exact specify. However, I believe that this aspect of the story, whether intentional or unintentional, actually added to the complexity of the story as well as showing the true meaning of the story in a more brilliant light. At the end, only one question is answered. The narrator proved his worthiness as a spy. The path he took to get here could have definitely gone haywire, as in the previous paragraphs when Albert is explaining the many possible worlds. This is the most outstanding, if not only, point proven at the end. The absence of any other evidences allows the reader to focus primarily on the proven fact at hand, without the distractions of side plots and/or plot twists. Borges contrasting tones with the proven point at the end and any other points throughout the story also help focus the story meaning. The narrator's sudden optimistic attitude is contrasted by the fast paced chase than ensues after Captain Madden misses the train. Luckily, with all the confusing twists and turns, a clear outcome appears. Without it, the story would probably lose the sudden clarity at the end. The complicated plot allows the ending to stick out because of the relatively simple plan by the narrator to release his voice.
ReplyDelete^Max Wimberley^
ReplyDeleteThe most faascinating thing about the structure of this story for me is the way Borges managed to, first of all, so accurately describe the concept of multiple futures at each point in time, and time as a "labyrinth," for it is a relatively abstract concept and can also be somewhat counter-intuitive in complicated situations, and this is the most succinct, well-written piece of literature I have read that contains an explanation and application of the concept. However, the more fascinating thing is that Borges was able to achieve this, and demonstrate the concept once more through the story itself -- Yu Tsun continually describes his intent as an "irrevocable decision" or as some kind of major/significant act (for good reason, obviously) which recalls the idea that, in choosing to do one thing or another (murder Albert or not, in this case), Tsun chooses a path in a "labyrinth of time," eliminating all the other possible decisions or paths that had before existed, or removing the possibility of their occurrence from Tsun's universe. This is also interesting in that it is closely related to Kierkegaard's conception of "dread," a feeling one experiences when faced with a freedom to do something. This is actually evident in the work, for Tsun does such things as putting off his killing Albert, and describing his decision creating a tone of anxiety and fear, for example, in the paragraph in which he describes how he obtained a minor "victory" over Madden when Madden missed the train. First, Tsun describes his extreme fear, and subsequent happiness in realizing his victory, however, he goes on to reassure himself that this minor victory can only precede total victory. It is obvious here that Tsun is incredibly concerned about the decision he is soon to make and its possible outcomes.
There is also an interesting little part where Tsun mentions his realization that "things only happen in the present," which fits in with the notion of making decisions in each moment, thus going on one path of many that had been possible before the present -- Tsun's realization here is also indicative of his realization of his great freedom and power over "the present" and thus the future.
Hmmm... There's a lot going on in this story, and a lot more I want to say, but I can't exactly figure out how to say it... The story is brilliant in my opinion, Borges weaves together intricately many different and concepts, each fascinating on its own, thus creating a spectacular web of relationships between various elements of the story's plot, character, and even form.
Also, it is really late so I can't see very well and it looks like all my words are underlined in red, so I can't spot any misspelled ones. Sorry if I misspelled some words. I really don't like misspelling words, seriously.
I enjoyed the story very much, and found it to be very intellectually challenging to try and grasp the concepts of time introduced by the book. I spent most of the time re-reading the passage in which Albert attempts to explain the manuscript, and though he describes the authors decision to omit the word "time" from the work as part of the rules of the guessing game that allow time to be the central theme of the book, I also considered whether or not the reason for omitting the word "time" could have been because the underlying thesis of the work is that there is no such thing as time, certainly not as it is traditionally understood. By omitting the concept from the story, and writing in contradiction to the linear concept of existence, Ts'ui Pen paints a picture of a reality without time, which is what I would consider his philosophy towards existence to be if Albert is to be believed. I was so intrigued by these concepts however that it felt as though Dr. Yu Tsun's story was sort of irrelevant, a vehicle by which to explain these concepts of time (or lack thereof). If there was more to be found in his narrative apart from Albert it was largely lost on me. His decision to kill Albert seems senseless, especially considering all that Albert has related to him. I see two key possibilities. The first, that Albert is bringing to the world and Tsun, through his understanding of Ts'ui Pen's work, a concept of reality that cannot be grasped and must be destroyed, hence the death. The second, that this plays well into Ts'ui Pen's point, seeing as, were his conjectures correct, it would be nearly irrelevant that Albert was killed, considering that in another reality he was not.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the poem I noticed anxious tone. Tsun was constatnly aware and worried about the British spy catching up to him after he found out about the possible killing of Viktor. The short story is written around the actions of Tsun in his last hours. Which creates an even more suspense nd anxciety. His goal is to gain information to give to Germany. To inform them of the artillary location. The story has sudden twists and turns. One moment he is talking to the doctor about his ancestor, then he shoots him in the back. Only to let Germany know the name of where the location is. The story presents a new idea, then throws another one in, keeping the reader on the edge.
ReplyDeleteI found the short story to be rather pointless. It was well written, with Dr. Tsun bringing the light on the necessity of urgency, and otherwise written in such a way to present that feeling. However, the complexity of the plot, such as having to kill Viktor when he could have come up with a better way, and presenting ideas that were not readily needed to detail the plot, made the story rather confusing.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the problem of race came up. I found the relevancy of this was unneeded until it was cleared up further in the story, when Dr. Tsun wants to "prove to him[the Chief] that a yellow man could save his armies". Race only served to conflict the story and plot more.
Of course, this may be because I was tired while reading. But either way, I would not like to read it again.
I enjoyed "The Garden of Forking Paths". My prerequisite for stories is that they have to make sense and be enjoyable on a literal level before they are allowed to delve into any philosophical or metaphysical contemplation. The story does this wonderfully. It is possible to enjoy it for its tightly controlled plot as well as its narrator's self-sacrificing, yet brilliant maneuver to get his information to the Nazis. And who can't enjoy a story that makes multiple references to chess?
ReplyDeleteYou'll have to pardon me for my chess geekiness here. The alliteration to chess in this story is especially fitting to explain Tsun's labyrinth and his idea that from every situation there are a myriad of options and "paths" that can be taken. The same is true in chess. From nearly every position, there are countless legal moves that can be executed. And even in the endgame where the amount of moves is limited, the combinations and variations arising from each move is near infinite.
I did not enjoy this story. I could not completely understand it. I mean, I liked how the Garden of Forking Paths was really just a book where every outcome of everything was written down, and I liked how intricate it was, but other than that, I found the story to be fairly pointless. Dr. Tsun did a wonderful job of showing how intricate time is, but I thought the narrative was fairly stupid. This guy is just running around trying to get away from someone when he goes to some random guy's house. The random guy comes out of the house and says "you must be here to see the Garden of Forking Paths" even though he had no idea who was at his door, and Madden was just like, "oh yeah that was written by my ancestor." It might have been because I was completely exhausted when I read it, but I really did not like the story.
ReplyDeleteAt the very beginning the reader is thrown in to the story to find a spy for Germany trying to figure out how to get information to the German forces. At the beginning of the story it seems like Tsun is going to the house of a German contact. After he gets off the train however it seems like the narrative takes an entirely new path while he solves the riddle of his ancestor's writing and speaks with his new acquaintance. Yet the whole time the book is commenting on its own story and how everything that happens causes the next thing to happen and how any change of what has occurred would create an entirely different path which could lead to different ending or even converge into the same paths again as depicted in the book. This easily leaves reader confused as to why Tsun is no longer worried about the man at his tail or whether he'll get his message across or not, yet everything at the end of the story converges and it is in the final paragraph that the reader realizes what has just occurred.
ReplyDelete--David Stanley
Amy Anderson
ReplyDeleteI didn't like this story much. Firstly, it is about a war, which almost immediately makes it unappealing. If I want to find out about war, I can go on the news. I don't need to make up/read stories about it.
Secondly, the story is confusing at best. It starts with virtually no explanation, and the reader is left to figure out what is going on on their own.
Thirdly, the idea that the character comes up with - killing a man to send a message that the city with the same name as the man needs to be destroyed - is shaky. What if the head of the army misinterprets the message? What if he never gets it in the first place. Tsun would probably have been better off sending a message (coded) than murdering a man.
Fourthly, the main character, Tsun, just gives up and allows himself to be found and killed. This was dissappointing, and I wish that something had happened to change the course of events so that the protagonist doesn't simply decide that life isn't worth living anymore.