Natalya Gornopolskaya

Blog by Natalya Gornopolskaya
“The Other,” “The Mirror and the Mask”

This next story by Borges is a social satire between the young and old. Borges is about seventy years old; he sits in a familiar bench only to realize he is in the presence of his once former self. This other man is about twenty, he is just starting out his career as a writer, and he reads many books which he uses for inspiration. He seems so focused on his career to the extent that he fails to notice this great presence before him. The older Borges tries to guide this younger man but to no avail. The younger Borges responds in disbelief and indifference. This lack of concern is disappointing to the older Borges because he realizes there is no way to reach out to this man. Perhaps he had an important message to deliver to him concerning his future. It’s a shame that both men leave the bench feeling empty when they have such close ties to one another. Perhaps some people fear their future and choose not to get in the way of what is meant to be someday.

“The Mirror and the Mask” was very sentimental and unusual. It reminded me of a fairytale in some aspects. There was a king who appointed a poet the task of writing a manuscript for an allotted period of time. It seems that during each time when the anniversary of this day passed, the poet became less sure of his capabilities and the king just became more proud of the poet’s accomplishments. The poet was awarded a silver mirror for his first labor, a golden mask for his second and a dagger for his third, which he used to kill himself. It seems that the deteriorating quality of the poet’s work reflects how difficult times are becoming outside the realms of the kingdom. The poet mirrors the quality of life in its present state. At the end the king himself becomes a beggar, who never speaks the words of that third poem. I guess that third poem must’ve been a line that said it all, if it made the poet kill himself and turned the king into a beggar.