The Theme Of Survivalism
The theme of survival
Survival, the act of staying alive. Often in tales of adventure survival plays a key role. This is true in the short story, The South by Argentinian author Luis Borges. Borges portrays the theme of survivalism as survival of the mind, veering away from traditional themes of physical survival. Borges accomplishes this by telling of Juan Dahlman, his head injury, and his admission to the sanitarium. In this story the main character, Juan Dahlman, acquires a copy of the book the Thousand and One Nights, and in his excitement hits his head on an open door, slicing it open. Dahlman passes out and when he wakes up he has a severe fever. In his sleep Dahlman suffers from nightmares, during the day relatives visit him with exaggerated smiles and assurances and at night he suffers from terrifying nightmares. After eight days Dahlman’s doctor comes to visit as usual, but this time has another doctor with him. The two doctors take Dahlman to a sanitarium, where he is strapped down, his head is shaved and he is x-rayed. A needle is inserted into Juan’s arm and he is rendered unconscious. When he wakes up, Dahlman is disoriented, nauseous and in a cell with “something of a well about it.” Dahlman recognizes his time in the sanitarium as hell, where there is no relief. Dahlman begins to hate himself “in minute detail”, including his identity and natural bodily functions. Dahlman is spiraling down into a pit of self hatred and insanity, slowly losing the will to live. When the doctor tells Juan that he nearly died from septicemia, he cries tears of self pity, crestfallen that he had not even had the joy of hoping for such a fate. To cope with all the disappointment and pain Dahlman begins to imagine leaving and going to the south. The second half of the story is the half that tells of Dahlman surviving, whereas the first half is about his struggle.
Survival, the act of staying alive. Often in tales of adventure survival plays a key role. This is true in the short story, The South by Argentinian author Luis Borges. Borges portrays the theme of survivalism as survival of the mind, veering away from traditional themes of physical survival. Borges accomplishes this by telling of Juan Dahlman, his head injury, and his admission to the sanitarium. In this story the main character, Juan Dahlman, acquires a copy of the book the Thousand and One Nights, and in his excitement hits his head on an open door, slicing it open. Dahlman passes out and when he wakes up he has a severe fever. In his sleep Dahlman suffers from nightmares, during the day relatives visit him with exaggerated smiles and assurances and at night he suffers from terrifying nightmares. After eight days Dahlman’s doctor comes to visit as usual, but this time has another doctor with him. The two doctors take Dahlman to a sanitarium, where he is strapped down, his head is shaved and he is x-rayed. A needle is inserted into Juan’s arm and he is rendered unconscious. When he wakes up, Dahlman is disoriented, nauseous and in a cell with “something of a well about it.” Dahlman recognizes his time in the sanitarium as hell, where there is no relief. Dahlman begins to hate himself “in minute detail”, including his identity and natural bodily functions. Dahlman is spiraling down into a pit of self hatred and insanity, slowly losing the will to live. When the doctor tells Juan that he nearly died from septicemia, he cries tears of self pity, crestfallen that he had not even had the joy of hoping for such a fate. To cope with all the disappointment and pain Dahlman begins to imagine leaving and going to the south. The second half of the story is the half that tells of Dahlman surviving, whereas the first half is about his struggle.