BORGES THE ALEPH

THE ALEPH

The Aleph by Jorge Luis Borges is a tale of unrequited love. The narrator takes upon himself the character of the unloved and opens the story with the death of the much desired and sought after Beatriz. Borges pledges devotion to her memory "without hope but also without humiliation", and begins an implausible campaign to ingratiate himself with her father and cousin (Borges 338). No reason is given for his wanting to have the confidence and friendship of her family members. As the plot evolves ever so slowly, Borges does indeed develop a type of friendship with the cousin, Carlos Argentino Daneri. As a a prolific, if unknown, writer, Carlos holds some minor position at a minor academic institution in Buenos Aires. Carlos writes an epic poem entitled "The Earth", his inspiration coming from something he discovers in the cellar as a child. He discovers an Aleph, "the only place on earth where are places are"; "one of the points in space that contains all other points" (Borges 343). Borges is invited to experience the Aleph, and he readily accepts the invitation even though he considers Carlos a madman. Borges comes to understand that Carlos and Beatriz were lovers when he sees, during the Aleph, the "unbelievable, obscene, detailed" letters Beatriz has written to Carlos.

Upon exiting the cellar, Borges finds Carlos eagerly awaiting a validation of his discovery. Borges opts for revenge and offers no validation. Instead, Borges is "kindly, openly pitying him, distraught, evasive" and tells Carlos he should move to the country for fresh air and quite (Borges 346).

The Aleph is a flight of fantasy with enough reality thrown in to keep the reader confused and searching. The narrator concludes the story by stating his justifications for believing the Aleph is a false Aleph. Just as there is a fine line between reality and illusion, there is also a fine line between love and hate.