In “The Garden of Forking Paths,” Borges manifests new ideas about time, questions the standard understanding of a novel, and contemplates the concept of destiny. Time, one of Borges' favorite subjects, is easily manipulated. In “The Garden of Forking Paths,” Borges attempts to create a visual model of an abstract idea. In addition to that, the title itself is a metaphor to help readers imagine Ts'ui Pen's idea of time - infinitely veering (Borges 126-127). Borges transforms Ts'ui Pen's notion of time into a rather unique book that not only discusses the idea of time, but does so in a way that causes confusion and chaos among its readers. This textual labyrinth forks in time rather than space, creating infinite futures with completely different outcomes (Borges 125). Through these infinitely different futures, Borges brings out his ideas about destiny. From his actions and thoughts, it is clear that the protagonist firmly believes in destiny, stating that “the future is as irrevocable as the past” (Borges 121). All the seemingly unrelated events of his life - Captain Madden, his arrival at Doctor Albert's house, and the novel itself - all seem to come together for one purpose, for Yu Tsun to report where the artillery park was located. This combination of themes had rarely been described before, leaving Borges as the creator of the new
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