To begin with, reading Borges (2018) was quite nostalgic; it brought back memories of literary criticism, the necessity of thematic coding, and events that come to life in your mind. Now, I nearly feel confident in predicting that whoever wrote the script for The Flash (2023) got some inspiration from this short story and its symbolic analysis of the “forking paths” as a metaphor for the directions of alternate and multiple realities. The main theme of the movie’s multiverse setting, the portrayal of rewards and consequences for every decision taken in every universe, and the necessity of time in all of these are all reflected by Borges.
The theme of interconnected elements and relative implications is pertinent to all three readings this week. Han’s (2022) argument of heterogeneity as a necessary aspect of forming a singular identity is very valid. It also extends to the conversations on the redefinition of culture in present times as an ever-changing, boundary-blurring phenomenon. As an emerging scholar interested in transnationality, Han provides me with quite a number of concepts to theorize contemporary identity deliberations. (180) [TO-03]
[Mailloux, 2000; Borges, 2018; Han, 2022; Muschietti, 2023]