Point of View

The story is written in past tense with a third-person limited narrator. Throughout the story, the narrator only relays Dahlmann’s thoughts, perceptions, and emotions pertaining to the events that transpire as the story progresses. For example, when Dahlmann is recovering from his head injury, the narrator remarks that “in the days and nights which followed the operation he came to realize that he had merely been … in a suburb of hell” (168). The narrator is limited because the narrator reveals Dahlmann’s opinions as the story unfolds and particular events occur, and the narrator does not reveal any information about other characters’ perceptions or thoughts.

The limited narration is important because it emphasizes the fact that Dahlmann’s fixation with patriotism, death, and heritage is individual, not a universal truth that Borges is trying to present through the story. Understanding that the narration is limited...