Katherine Tesi

In Jorge Luis Borges’ short story, “Monk Eastman, Purveyor of Iniquities”, what stood out to me most was how rich with detail it was. Borges provided a brief but full history of the character Monk and continued the same detailed story in the pages that followed. From the physical description of Monk Eastman to the prices of the different types of “jobs” one can request, Borges was able to develop the story so fully in such short length.
In the second short story, “Hakim, the Masked Dyer of Merv”, Borges presents a very obvious religious force within the text. The most obvious relation to religion is the simple fact that Hakim becomes a prophecy of sorts. The idea of multiple heavens is also mentioned. What was also very clear was that although this story was full of religious references and relations, it didn’t become boring or overwhelming at any point. Borges presented the story concisely yet completely and was able to include the religious points without becoming preachy and dull.