In recounting events surrounding a critical time in Irish history, the narrator of this Borges tale cites how one character by the name of Ryan is disturbed that facets of what has happened are "of a cyclic nature; they seem to repeat or combine events of remote regions, of remote ages." However, as Ryan digs deeper he's "rescued from these circular labyrinths by a curious finding, a finding which then sinks him into other, more inextricable and heterogeneous labyrinths."
Reading this tale of a traitor and hero prompts me to reflect on what it means to be judged by society, by history. What individual throughout the long span of history would quality as a universal hero, someone who could not be seen by some as a traitor? Did such a person even exist?
Also, how free are we as humans? Think back on your own life, at what point did you feel yourself free from being trapped in a labyrinth of one sort or another? I suspect many of us would point to a time in our life free of politics and the tangle of our given role within society - in a word, a time when we could claim a measure of wisdom drawing from the wellspring of our inner life.
Returning to history, I'm reminded of that famous George Santayana quote: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." It is now 2021. What have we humans learned from history such that we no longer repeat the mistakes from past ages? Can anybody come up with an answer where they wouldn't be condemned as a traitor by some sector of society?
Things to keep in mind as you read Theme of the Traitor and the Hero. Link the the full tale: https://ucrliteraryanalysis.files.wor...
Jorge Luis Borges, 1899 - 1986
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