Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- What is going on in Jaromir's dreams? Have you ever had a dream about chess, searching for something in a library, or trying to get someplace and never reaching it? What do you think they mean? Yes, we're getting intense: what do they mean…?
- Check out our biography of Franz Kafka. Does anything about Jaromir Hladik or his story seem Kafkaesque? (Yes, that's a real word.) If so, why do you think Borges wants to make this connection to Kafka's work?
- What is Jaromir's understanding of God? If God were not a figure in the story, how would that change things for Jaromir? How would it change things for us as readers?
- Who or what are the bad guys in "The Secret Miracle"? Is it clear cut? Should it be?
- Jaromir is pretty obsessive, right? Can we blame him? How does Borges describe obsession? Are we supposed to be fully sympathetic or think he's a little nuts? Why?
- Think about Julia de Weidenau for a second. How did Jaromir come up with this lady? We invite you to come up with something deliciously intriguing and scandalous – let your imagination run wild!
- How would this story be different if it were set in a different historical context? Give some specific examples to drive your point home.