The Library of Babel- SK

In the The Library of Babel, Borges presents a number of magical realist devices. The concept of a cyclical time, the existence of parallel worlds, and the discussion of God are all presented throughout the text. Also, the binary of infinity and finite space are presented. The library appears to be a metaphor for the world, and the books a metaphor for all of the people and elements of this world. In Borges' closing line, "the same volumes are repeated in the same disorder- which, repeated, becomes order: the Order," this is essentially saying that time is a cycle and the same events happen over again. The existence of parallel worlds is evident in Borges' discussion of the many galleries of the library "each identical to the first" and the many floors of the library that follow the same plan. Religion plays a significant role in this text, as there are many references to God and a supreme being. However, this does present a less traditional view, saying that God is just like a librarian who stumbled upon the right book and does not necessarily have any unique qualities, thus it is mentioned as a God rather than the God. This could be viewed as a criticism of many religions. Borges confronts the binary of finite and infinite, and claims that even though the number of books is finite, he explains that the library is not and that the books eventually reiterate, as does the cycle of time. This helps us to understand how the concepts of a finite world and infinite world can exist in Borges' work.