The Garden of Forking Paths

Dr. Albert realizes that when Ts’ui Pên announces his plan to write an infinite novel and to construct a maze in which a man can lose himself, he does not refer to two separate enterprises. Ts’ui Pên’s use of the term “labyrinth” constitutes a metaphor for the kind of text he attempts to create, one with infinite diverging paths—but the name of both the story and the novel in “The Garden of Forking Paths” names the labyrinth as if it were a real garden with actual paths. Each time the phrase “garden of forking paths” appears in the story, it may refer to the story, the novel, or the imagined labyrinth that Dr. Albert points out exists only in the novel’s shape. This extended metaphor corresponds with the short story’s widespread polysemy, where words and phrases express multiple meanings simultaneously—like the name “Albert” indicating both a character and a location in the story, as well as paying homage to Albert Einstein, whose theories weave through the text. Even the “duel” between Madden and Tsun (214) represents a miniature of warfare and conflict. The two spies move in tandem, at times more like a chess game than an actual fight.