Thirty-three

"The Other Duel" by Jorge Luis Borges, I believe, contained some unimportant informations, or atleast, informations that seemed unimportant and meaningless for the short story. The fact that Carmen Silveira had named his sheepdog Thirty-three, was the most confusing to me. It may be that, by stating the name, the dog becomes more important, or significant to the story. However, that was the only information, besides that it "was found dead in the ditch," that was inscribed in the text. Does the number thirty three mean something, or was it just Silveira's favorite number? Researching the specific, I have found out that areas such as Buenos Aires, Argentina and Durazno, Uraguay, which I believe were the locations where the event took place, are located on 33°30' of the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, the dog's name may have been significant. I do not believe, however, that Silveira had been so intelligent, giving the fact that he had been continuing the meaningless fight with Manuel Cardoso. Also, those knowledge may not have been existing at the time and place. It could have been Borges' application of elements of humor in this story. Although I do not know if the people in the area spoke Spanish or not, I also have found out that, in Spanish, "Diga treinta y tres" ("Say thirty-three") is the same as "say cheese," indicating to "smile to the camera." Since when we take pictures, especially by saying "say cheese," we are a content, it may be pointing out Silveira's happiness when he was with his dog, or his love for the dog. Perhaps, Borges is using both facts for both meanings, or that was all the information he have received from Carlos Reyles about the dog and it has missing pieces to the story, or it does not have any significance and the fact is just there, which, I think, is the most doubtful.