Post #5- Asterion

What did Borges achieve with his story "Asterion"? Explain your point of view with examples from the text. 150 words. (Post #5)

With “Asterion”, Borges depicts a world filled with themes of loneliness, disloyalty, and vanity. “Asterion” tells the story of a son of a queen named “Asterion”. Asterion lives by himself in a house. He rarely leaves the house. However, after the few times he does actually leave the house, he quickly comes back in after seeing the common people with “faces as discolored and flat as the palm of one's hand” and viewing people’s rude reactions once he is recognized in public. To entertain himself in the house, Asterion runs around the house until he gets dizzy, pretends to sleep and gives a tour of the house to his make-believe guest, the “other Asterion”.

Through the story of “Asterion”, Borges shows his audience a world that is filled with loneliness, disloyalty and vanity. Loneliness can be seen in multiple parts of the story such as when it is mentioned that Asterion’s “days and nights are long” and that Asterion often pretends he is showing the house to a make-up guest. Disloyalty can be seen in instances such as when it is mentioned that Asterion’s house is open to any visitors at all times but no one ever comes to visit. Vanity can be seen in the beginning of the story when Asterion states that “not for nothing was my mother a queen; I cannot be confused with the populace, though my modesty might so desire.” Asterion does not want to be associated with the “common people” because as a heir of royalty, he views himself as being above them.