Myth and magical realism have been evident in the many fiction readings we have analyzed this semester. One of my favorites that we read and analyzed in this class this semester was The House of Asterion by Jorge Luis Borges. This literary work tells the well-known myth of the Cretan Minotaur from another point of view compared to other variations of this known myth. We were exposed to different elements that these authors incorporate into their work, such as myth and magical realism, as a way for the reader to identify with or merge a realistic depiction of everyday phenomena and events with magical elements . In this essay I will discuss the use of these elements in The House of Asterion and how they help to accomplish what the author proposes for myself and other readers to interpret and their impact on the accentuation of fiction genres. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In this article, Borges's use of physical and metaphorical themes allowed me, as a reader, to interpret his work and see instances where magical realism is used throughout the story as it allows the reader to identify with some of the psychological and human qualities given to the minotaur. As the title suggests, this story features Asterion the Minotaur awaiting his "redemption" from the labyrinth whose purpose is generally to trap, confuse, and provide a means of isolation. The reader can interpret a range of messages that this piece can invoke when reading. Asterion's feeling of loneliness in this labyrinth led me to interpret that it creates a prison and an isolating solitude for him mentally and physically most of the time. Asterion's loneliness is visible through himself and the outside population who probably view him as monstrous and his only source of comfort tends to bow "majestically" to "another Asterion", suggesting his deep isolation and his life with and through his own fantasy. Although his only friend tends to be an imaginary carbon copy of himself, the inner pain caused by self-infliction, destruction, and the removal of normal experience outside of his mind allows the reader to sympathize somewhat bit with the Minotaur and the use of magical realism in this story. gives the protagonist of this story human qualities such as emotions and other notable characteristics such as the setting of this story which we will talk about later. He may not be a literal prisoner, but Asterion's isolation creates a prison for his mental self. He scoffs at the idea that he could be a prisoner and points out that “the door remains open” and “may I add, there is no lock”. However, Asterion lives in his own mind; he does not indulge in reading or venture into other worlds by escaping from literature, nor is he interested in “what a man can publish abroad for other men. Instead, he focuses inward, mentally distancing himself from the outside world. He prefers to play with his own mind "crouching in the shadow of a wellhead or in a corner of a corridor." Asterion lives in the shadows, often losing himself in nothingness and opening his eyes to discover that it is dark. Asterion describes his interactions with the environment and gives the reader the impression that he does not exist outside of his own mind, or that he is perhaps struggling. feel existence. As he painstakingly describes his labyrinth, detailing "the troughs, the courtyards and the wellheads", only in his final statement does he describe his own appearance, wondering whether his so-called redeemer will be "a man or a bull?" Could he be a bull with the face of a man? Or will he be like me? Unfortunately, the terror he sees on the faces of those outside the labyrinth as "people prayed, fled, bowed down before [him]" further reinforces his isolation. Asterion observes his environment and interacts with the world through his thoughts and fantasies; he is not blind to the outside world, he is enlightened to how the outside world perceives him and is forced by his fear to retreat within and exist only in his consciousness. Asterion is trapped in a constant cycle of self-internalization. Furthermore, by inflicting pain on himself, Asterion questions his own existence, attempting to feel and experience something outside of himself. The physical pain strangely temporarily heals Asterion of his confined mind. He charges "through the stone corridors until he falls dizzyingly to the ground", finding pleasure in throwing himself "from the tops of the roofs until he bleeds", a desperate manifestation of his cyclical solitude. Despite his extreme self-mutilation, Asterion never "bleeds his hands" with the blood of others. He lives and interacts fully within himself. However, since the prediction of his redeemer, Asterion no longer feels “pain for [himself] in solitude”. We may not know it, but perhaps death will end his pain, the isolation he suffered while enduring the expected eternity of his predicament. In knowing that there is an end, Asterion finds some form of peace. The destruction of Asterion frees him from the prison of his mind almost like a child distracted by a toy. While reading this and doing some research on Borges, I learned that his work is known to contain the style of magical realism and that he is one of the main protagonists. points for the literary community for this specific genre. A possible counterargument to my arguments mentioned above might be that while I want to say that the labyrinth may be located entirely in the mind of the Minotaur, I think that there are places in the story that suggest a physical and material reality outside one's head, for example men. who visit every nine years, their footsteps and voices echoing in the “stone galleries”. and some other cases which may indicate it. Although the Minotaur may be physically confined within a labyrinth, Borges's account makes it clear that the true confinement is his isolation within his own mind. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized paper from our expert now. writers.Get a Custom EssayMagical realism is to some extent a subgenre of fantasy. However, what differentiates it from full-fledged fantasies and other more realistic extensions of fantasy is the normalization of the "strange." Most fantasy novels I read as a child take time to explain how their world works. Magical realism does not do this and describes something like a man or creature living in the depths of a place for days on end or being isolated in a maze in this case for its entire life as usual. No one in the world questions it, not even the writer. If someone were to survive at the bottom of a chasm or find themselves trapped in a maze for their entire life or for weeks on end, there would definitely need to be some sort of "magic" in our world. But magical realism chooses to ignore this and present it as true, which offers a unique style from other genres of writing and makes it an element. 51-56.,.2012.22007.