Victoria Gornopolskaya

“The Zahir” is about Borges himself and his obsession with a gold coin called the Zahir. He goes into great detail in telling us the origins of the Zahir and how it could also refer to other things such as god or a tiger. He also mentions his lovesickness for a woman named Teodelina Villar, a model. It seems as though his obsession stems from the fact that he spent the Zahir at a bar when he saw Teodelina Villar having a drink. This story is simply the ramifications of a man who has been heartbroken and chooses to express his grief by channeling it through an entirely different extreme. Borges was so overcome with grief over Teodelina Villar’s suicide that he held on to the closest part of her that he had known, which was the Zahir coin. I believe this story was written to show the toils of dealing with an unhealthy obsession and how heavily it can impact your life.

“The House of Asterion” is a first person account of a princess who isolates herself in a very large house. She is not a prisoner, as she isn’t locked up or forced to stay in one place. She simply chooses this way of life because she fears the commoners and the way they treat her. It isn’t clear whether her house is really infinite, or if that word was simply placed over the number fourteen. It seems she lives a very lonely life; no companionship, no ability to read, and no overall contact with the outside world. There is the exception of a ceremony that occurs every nine years, but other than that her life is desolate. All she has is her house, in which she wanders through its limitless pools, galleries and all sorts of other treasures. Though she does possess all these riches she is still empty inside, just like her infinite palace.

Natalya Gornopolskaya

Blog by Natalya Gornopolskaya
“The Zahir,” “The House of Asterion”

This first story describes the irrationalities of obsession. Borges was in love with a woman named Teodelina Villar. This woman was very calculated in her mannerisms, and always maintained herself as a classy and beautiful figure. The story gives the impression that she took her own life, as a result of finding herself inadequate. The story then shifts its focus to the Zahir, which is a coin among its many other meanings. Though I don’t see the connection between Teodelina Villar and the Zahir, I think it could be the coin itself that played a part in her untimely death. Borges inserts himself into the story as a man who is plagued by his obsession. I feel very bad for people who cannot grasp control over such extreme emotions. I assume the man Borges portrays in the story commits suicide as well because the coin held such a high power over him.

“The House of Asterion” is the story of a spoiled princess who chooses to isolate herself from society. She is simply a desperate soul who retreats to an immeasurable house for protection against the common folk. She doesn’t even have the patience to learn to read so that she herself could understand what poor people really have to go through. She spends her days doing nothing but frolicking in her mansion while the rest of society is hard at work for her. This princess is in dire need of a rude awakening because she is overly sheltered. My hope is that she is either overthrown or made to live as a commoner, because her attitude is just beyond reality.

Elisabeth Jeremko

I cannot decide if I like or dislike “The House of Asterion”. It contains a unique perspective and bizarre elements, like the lockless, infinite doors. Asterion is fascinating as a character and the emphasis on the House throws off the reader from ever guessing Asterion would be a minotaur. One question that lingers in my mind is, what is the significance of “14”? It is not a number that I have seen pop up as symbolic. So I wonder why Borges picked fourteen to represent infinity and keep showing up in the story? Asterion says that he may have created the house, but does not remember it. What would propel him to think this (merely his ignorance…or his rich imagination?). The ideas that get presented in the story are interesting, but they leave me questioning more than feeling like I have the answers. The story is so short that so much is left ambiguous and unfulfilling in terms of explanation. I also want to know who the redeemer is supposed to be? If Asterion is the minotaur, who would be the redeemer? I found the very ending so sad…that the minotaur “hardly defended itself” (Borges, 222). Somehow, even though not understanding much, I still was emotionally invested in Asterion and felt bad for his imprisonment of solitude and then how the story ends. Has Asterion been redeemed by the end, through this act?

Michael Lampasona

In this story, the Asterion begins by describing how he is a social outcast. He talks about how he remains in his house throughout the day and night, and his descriptions make him seem insane. He also talks about how he would like to mix with the commoners, but every time he goes outside everyone runs from him. The Asterion describes how he explores his house, and that there are an infinite amount of parts to his house. He goes on to state that his house is the world. At the end of the story, he says that nine men come to the house every nine years, and he slays them. At the end of the story, we learn that the Asterion is the minotaur.

I found this story very interesting. It showed a human side to the minotaur, and showed that he was not a ruthless beast. This is similar to how the minotaur was humanized in House of Leaves, and helps the reader gain a new perspective on this character.

I’m not sure what to think of The Zahir. It was confusing at times but it was about a man who bcomes obsessed with a coin and then finds out other people have been obsessed with it as well. In the past it hadn’t only been a coin, it had been other things as well like a tiger, a blind man, and many others. I think that anyone can decide what The Zahir is, because what it’s been in the past are very abstract things. The narrator says that The Zahir is also a form of God because they are both unforgettable and they make people mad. I think this is an interesting comparison, but there are many other things that are unforgettable and make people go crazy, but these things aren’t compared to God.
I enjoyed The House of Asterion. It is about a man who lives in a house (which is similar to a labyrinth) where its’ doors are always open and there is no lock. Although the house would allow him to leave, he feels like a prisoner beause when he walks outside people hide from him and run away because he is “unique”. Every nine years, nine men come into his house to be freed from all evil, and they all die suddenly. There are a lot of unanswered questions that I have concerning the story. Why do people flee from Asterion when they see him? Why is the number fourteen so important? How do the nine men die and why? Will Asterion’s redeemer ever come?