Here's Vanessa post for this week:
Jorge Luis Borges punctuates the first sentence of
“El sur” with a semicolon. In doing so, he divides two independent clauses,
each corresponding to related yet dissimilar men: Johannes Dahlmann and Juan
Dahlmann. The names Johannes and Juan are translations of one another, and it
can be assumed that Juan is likely named for his grandfather, Johannes. In this
way, their names are mirrored by language, culture, and family ties. The
sentence structure is a means to accentuate this mirroring effect,
simultaneously pairing and dividing Johannes from his grandson, Juan. The two
clauses represent a displacement in time and a generational gap. Each depicts a
snap-shot of both men separated by 68 years; both are classified by their occupations
and respective statuses as Argentinian citizens. Johannes has just stepped off
the plane in Buenos Aires, presumably for the first time, presumably as a
newcomer. Juan in contrast is “hondamente argentino.” The choice of the word
“hondamente” is of particular importance in this opening sentence. The Spanish word
“hondamente” is synonymous with English words “deeply” or “profoundly.” The use
of this word implies that Juan has some kind of profound insight into his
Argentinian identification. It is an unusual word choice and seems dramatic or
exaggerated, possibly even sarcastic. Borges goes on to place other details in
opposition to Juan’s deeply Argentinian sentiments; after a description of
Juan’s maternal grandfather being lanced by Indians from Catriel, the narrator
mentions how “Juan Dahlmann (tal vez a impulso de la sangre germánica) eligió
el de ese antepasado romántico, o de muerte romantic.” This “impulso de la
sangre germánica” to favor the more romantic ancestors places Juan in a paradoxically
mixed place. It is because of his German blood that he chooses to be profoundly
Argentinian. When the narrator goes on to mention Juan as possessing nationalism
that is “voluntario,
pero nunca ostentoso,” the words “voluntario” and “impulso” push up against one
another. If there are impulses inherited from his German blood that make him
choose Argentinian nationalism, is this nationalism truly voluntary?
Nice close read! I like the idea of the mirror/divide being structurally set up in the first sentence. I also like the idea of translation/mistranslation that you bring up regarding names, which makes me think of Dahlman's translation/mistranslation of gaucho culture and the South.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a very significant observation. The form of the text also brings forth the duality we read into the character of Johannes. There are dichotomies and paradoxes throughout the text, it through these binaries how are we to understand identity. Do identity politics rest on la discordia—which never seems to be resolved? Which we see this reference to la discordia again in "El etnografo." The form of the text itself represents these symmetries and anachronisms.
ReplyDeleteYou present very strongly the question of whether the choice of one's identity is even posible. I especially enjoyed that you observed a certain spark of sarcasm in Borges' description of Juan's identification. He thinks he can chose, perhaps in the manner of his death he can be baptized as argentine (as Vincent would put it), but Borges hints its an illusory identity. I had the same reaction to the word "hondamente" as it can be both profound and hollow.
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