Elisabeth Jeremko

"The Other" reminded me of "The Zahir" opening, which is also reminiscent of "House of Leaves". Like these two other works, "The Other" presents a narrator who expresses an intense, yet vague sense of horror and deep impact from some type of occurrence. The subject matter in this story was perhaps one of the most interesting. Therefore, I found this story to be one of my favorites. The thought of meeting up with yourself from a different time is bizarre and unsettling. The story also proves to be rather humorous, because the confrontation is so awkward. Alot of captivating thoughts are mentioned that can all relate to Borges' meeting with himself -- deja vu, knowing oneself,an individual's changes throughout time, and the confusion of dreams and reality. It is funny when the one Borges corrects the other and when they both agree to meet again, yet neither will actually do so. The older Borges attempts to say grand, sweeping commentary on the nature of the individual and literature, whereas the younger Borges barely listens. As the older Borges says, though, "The situation was too unnatural to last much longer. There was no point in giving advice, no point in arguing, because the young man's inevitable fate was to be the man that I am now" (Borges, 416). I like how Borges gives an explanation for why it was forgotten by the young Borges -- a dream. Honestly, it is quite difficult to wrap my mind around the whole concept. That is why I think I find the story so challenging (in a good way) and memorable.