Jorge Luis Borges has a very interesting way of incorporating magical realism in his works or literature. In “The Lottery in Babylon” the most important magic realist device used is chance/fate and what seems to be an exaggerated reality to prove his point of the effects of the lottery in their society. The story begins with what seems to be the description of a normal everyday lottery. At first there was really no great risk in playing in the lottery. As the story goes on the stakes become higher and higher to the point where the people in Babylon are willing to risk their lives and great amounts of money to play. Playing this lottery creates a dilemma for the people because if you play you are taking a huge risk, but if you don’t play you are almost considered an outcast in this society. This lottery creates chaos in this society to a point where the reader is at the point of questioning the reality of these happenings. Borges does a good job of illustrating the extreme risk that people in society are willing to take to reach some importance or status, but in the end it is just a game where people leave their fate up to chance.
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