The Immortal

by
Jorge Luis Borges
Presenter:

Asifa Iqbal
 About the
author:
Jorge Luis Borges
(1899-1986) is an
Argentine poet,
essayist, short story
writer and translator.
He is considered a key
figure in Latin American
literature. He has
written predominantly
in Spanish language.
Labyrinths:

“Labyrinths” is a collection of
short stories, essays and
parables. There are 23 short
stories. Most of the short
stories in this collection are
taken from his Spanish works
namely:
• Ficciones (transl. Fictions)
and El Aleph (transl. The
Aleph)
Concept of Labyrinth:
• Labyrinth serves not only as the title of this collection, but it also acts
as a recurring motif (idea, symbol) that occurs in almost all of the
short stories contained in this collection including our current story
‘The Immortal’.
The title: The Immortal
• The title of the story represents the major idea of the short story. It
refers to the timeless yearning, urge and ambition of the human
beings
• to somehow dodge the inevitable death.
• To be free from the shackles of death and remain in this world forever
Major characters:
Marcus Flaminius Rufus
• He is a military tribune in the reign of Emperor Diocletian (in 3rd CE).
• He is the narrator of the story.
• He has served in Egyptian wars. He is the dominant character who
undergoes a rough journey in search of the City of Immortals.
Wounded horseman
• He introduces the idea of immortality by asking about the river with
special type of water. He dies right after telling about the river.
Characters:
Troglodytes
• Presented as the race of primitive human beings
• They are portrayed as the savages devoid of any civilization, speech or
productive activities for the major part of the story. In the end, it is
revealed that they are the immortals of the City of Immortals.
Plot summary
• The story uses the first person narrative.
• It is told by a character named Marcus Flaminius Rufus. One day when
he is stationed at the garden in Thebes, he meets an unnamed bloody
horseman who enquires him about a
“the secret river which cleanses men of death”
• The horseman (before dying in the arms of Rufus) also tells that if you
keep going westward, you will come upon a plateau that inhabits the
City of Immortals and in the centre of the city flows the river that
grants immortality.
• Rufus embarks on a quest in search of the rumored river. He is
accompanied by 200 soldiers and a group of mercenaries. He
ventures into unknown lands, facing different challenges along the
way. His soldiers and mercenaries abandon him and even plan to kill
him.
• He escapes and keeps on moving forward.
• One night he dreams of a labyrinth. He sees a water jar in the centre
of the labyrinth. His hands are almost touching the jar and suddenly
he wakes up. The dream prompts him to continue the quest with
even more vigor.
• Finally, in the middle of some desert, he encounters a group of men
called troglodytes. They are passive men, with no sign of civilization.
They don’t even speak. They are not impressed or surprised by Rufus’
sudden arrival.
• In the meanwhile, Rufus finds out a secret stairway which leads to the
labyrinth. The centre of the labyrinth leads to a ruined city with some
marks of magnificence. Driven by extreme thirst, he comes upon a
river and drinks. The water grants him immortality.
• He realizes that the troglodytes are the inhabitants of the City of
Immortal. Their lack of interest in anything whatsoever horrifies the
narrator. They are just lying around. They do not even feel the need to
build houses. They do not give importance to their bodies because
the bodies are not going to be taken by death. They eat and drink
rarely. Our narrator is repulsed by their way of living.
• The narrator comes upon a troglodyte who keeps following him
around. Rufus names him as Argos. He tries to teach Argos some
language. However, it seems very difficult for Argos to even
pronounce a few words.
• One night it rains heavily, Rufus notes that all the immortals are
surprised by this sudden intervention by nature. Everyone seems to
come out of deep slumber and show signs of surprise and happiness.
• That night, he finds out that Argos is actually the renowned artist
Homer. He is fascinated by this revelation.
• Rufus comes to detest being immortal. However, he keeps living and
exploring the world. He feels the urge to turn back mortal again. He
comes to realization that being immortal is a romantic notion.
However, actually living the life of an immortal is another story.
Themes
Mortality vs immortality
• The whole story revolves around the quest to attain immortality.
However, after attaining immortality, the terrible reality of being
immortal dawns on the narrator. The troglodytes’ behavior and ways
of living sheds light on the meaninglessness of life after attaining
eternal life.
• The narrator comes to realization that the death acts as the moral
compass, the motivation and driving force. It makes us remain
determined, active and eager.
Existentialism:
• The story explores the urge to attain meaning in our lives. The ideas of
inevitability of death and the absurdity of life after becoming
immortal are explored. The existential dilemma highlights the
inherent meaninglessness of existence and the struggle to find
purpose in Postmodern era. Rufus's journey mirrors the existentialist
notion of the individual's responsibility to create their own meaning in
a world that is devoid of inherent purpose. Borges prompts readers to
ponder the nature of existence, the value of mortality, and the pursuit
of meaning in the face of eternity.
Conclusion:
• The story explores the impact of immortality on humans. As they do
not feel the need to establish a society, they do not build houses, they
do not even want to help someone from their community. When an
immortal falls into a deep pit, nobody bothers to throw him a rope.
Because even if he is going to be miserable in that pit, he would still
not die. It takes more than 70 years before someone finds it necessary
to throw him a rope and the man comes out unbothered. This is the
height of indifference on the part of the troglodytes and sheds light
on the self-centred and selfish approach of people in today's world.