Katherine Tesi

In Borges’ The Lottery in Babylon, the idea of chance overwhelms the entire text. Within the story the entire population of Babylon is consumed with the lottery which is set up initially with only prizes in mind. Over time, the lottery comes to include both prize and consequence for all of the people involved. The Company which comes to run the lottery is an all powerful and knowing body completely unattached to the people. Overall this story seemed to have portrayed the idea that blindly following authority is taking a chance in itself, and over time the chances of the outcome being positive lessen.
In The Garden of Forking Paths, displays both the themes of deceit and of the recurring labyrinth. Tsun realizes that like his ancestor had hinted at, the “labyrinth in which all men would lose their way” was actually the novel itself in its unfinished state. Borges has the novel within the story use time as the means for his labyrinth, making the labyrinth never ending and never solvable. I found it interesting that Borges related Tsun to the author of the unfinished novel; however chances are I’m missing a point of some kind.