How Does Borges Use A Labyrinth In 'Death And The Compass'?

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Labyrinths in “Death and the Compass” Borges’ short story “Death and the Compass” takes the reader into a detective story in which the detective, Lonnrot, investigates a series of murders and attempts to solve the mystery behind the whole situation. What is especially significant about this story is its use of labyrinths to symbolize the detective process in solving a mystery and as a symbol for the lack of control we have in deciding our fates. The detective uses the clues at each crime scene to find the connection between them and to guide him through the labyrinth of the crimes to eventually determine where the last crime would take place, however, that labyrinth will also ultimately result in the detective’s death. The use of this labyrinth …show more content…
The whole story is a detective story, in which it is common for a detective to usually use the clues he or she finds at every murder site to lead to the next step in solving the crime. This process is performed by Lonnrot as well, and he uses every clue to determine the connection between each murder and hence following a labyrinth that will lead him to solving the crime and also to his inevitable death. The detective’s death also shows that the labyrinth that he was following is a representation for life on Earth, in which one has no control in choosing our destinations and fates because they are already predetermined and inevitable. Life is like a maze in which there is only one possible exit, which is our predetermined fates. The use of the labyrinth also directly gets the reader involved in the crime as well, taking into consideration every clue and getting to the same conclusions as the detective that will guide the reader’s thoughts through the labyrinth as well. In general, the use of labyrinth is truly effective and necessary for a crime story like
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