Borges Response

Borges writing is very interesting. I had a little difficulty understanding every detail of his stories, but I found them a little upsetting. Personally, I like stories with happy endings, and Borges stories aren't exactly fairy tales. In the ending of "The Gospel According to Mark", the main character is put to death by the people he thinks are his friends. I was left with so many questions and felt completely sorrowful. It is hard for me to enjoy a story that involves such distressing events.

However, Borges was very creative and imaginative. While reading his story "Emma Zunz", I felt mesmerized by the text. My heart raced as I read closer to the end. Though I longed for a fairy tale ending, the story brought excitement to me. I enjoyed the excitement of not knowing what was coming next. Borges kept me intrigued and interested in all of his stories in that way. So though they weren't happy endings, I guess in the end I found that stories still can be fascinating even with sad endings.

I think that one of the reasons I dislike the stories with sad endings is because I relate the sad events to things that have happened in my own life. In "Emma Zunz", Emma takes someones life due to rage. In my own life, I have watched some of the lives of people I love taken away because of anger, stupidity, or carelessness. For example, a friend of mine was hit by a drunk driver and killed. My friend was an amazing person, and did not deserve to have her life taken away. I hate reading stories that bring up past events and emotions in my own life, bringing up old skeletons.

Borges's short story "The Gospel According to Mark", sparked a special interest in me. Borges wrote, "Leafing through the volume, his fingers opened it at the beginning of the Gospel according to St. Mark." This was a neat way for me to relate to the story, because I was able to connect it with my religion. I understood the story well because of its relation to the Bible. Borges wrote with a creative mind, and surprisingly, I found his stories interesting and entertaining.