At the beginning of this story, I thought the plot would be straightforward, but when I read it for the second time, I found different meanings in it. This short story gave me an impression I was reading a piece of prose, the style is concise, every phrase is a condensation of detailed plots but I can still feel it is poetic. The South also makes a lot of illusionary effects, as to me, the particularity of this story is the ambiguous boundary between the reality and the fiction.

It is quite common that a story being revised from real events, since Borges used to be injured on his forehead and got infection, he put his experience on the character, but what happened later in the story seems like a dream or the imagination of the character (or we can say the author). About this point, there exist some hints in the story:

Firstly, Dahlmann chose the romantic part from his ancestor, so it’s not strange for him to have some imaginary thoughts, and he bought The Arabian Nights, the context of which signifies the struggles with death endlessly. “To travel with this book so closely linked to the history of his torment was an affirmation that the torment was past, and was a joyous, secret challenge to the frustrated forces of evil.” His story originated from The Arabian Nights, and Dahlmann used The Arabian Nights to fight the real life (or his experience in the hospital). This book foreshadowed the choice of Dahlmann at the ending.

Secondly, there are several phrases signifying eternity. “While Dahlmann stroked the cat’s black fur, that this contact was illusory, that he and the cat were separated as though by a pane of glass, because man lives in time, in successiveness, while the magical animal lives in the present, in the eternity of the instant.” ”On the floor, curled against the bar, lay an old man, as motionless as an object. The many years had worn him away and polished him, as a stone is worn smooth by running water or a saying is polished by generations of humankind. He was small, dark, and dried up, and he seemed to be outside time, in a sort of eternity.” The spatiality and the temporality in this story are unconsciously expanded, eternity becomes the theme of this story.

Thirdly, the ending of the story is open. Beautiful scenery of the hometown brought Dahlmann the desire of starting a new life, but he would be face to face with danger again. He was not scared, he had experienced the most painful physical and mental sufferings during the treatmen. People are unable to get rid of real life, but real life can provide us the opportunities of experiencing eternal life. Dahlmann could be injured severely again, then he would get a new treatment, this means a circle was made and all start again from the beginning, he could never extricate himself from this predicament and encumbrance, but it’s his choice to determine the form of his own death (an eternal life), totally different from the last experience, it is a conscious choice; or he could be dead without any regrets, the death is a perfect way for him to maintain his dignity and have an extrication, he would be sent to an eternity.

Life is full of different experiences of death, agonies, horror and wonders. The South emphasizes on the choice of life. The old man is hence a representative figure of the South. When he saw Dahlmann, he knew what had happened to him and what he would continue to bear. He gave his dagger to Dahlmann and encouraged him with full of expectations to fight the bloody duel, Dahlman did not hesitate, the southern culture decided that Dahlman can only accept the challenge. This choice has reached the limits of the aesthetic, the pride of the human, is also a symbol of spiritual immortality. This is the principle of the South, it is cruel, but it is charming as well.