IntroductionJorge Luis Borges, born in 1899, is an Argentinian short story writer and poet. “The Gospel According to Mark” is one of his short stories published in 1970. It covers biblical ideas and the crucifixion. It begins with an introduction to Baltazar Esponosa and his trip to his cousin's farm run by the Gutre family. Esponisa spends time with the Gutres after a flood and eventually transforms into a God-like figure. In “The Gospel According to Mark,” Jorge Luis Borges demonstrates extreme control over characterization, theme, and setting to create a wonderfully written story with a beautifully executed twist, the crucifixion. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The way Borges characterizes his characters explains why the Gutre family crucified Espinosa. The audience learns of the Gutre family's strange regression to an older point in the world when Espinosa finds the family bible. Espinosa Espinosa looks at the Bible. Espinosa says: “The chronicle stopped in the 1870s, when they no longer knew how to write. After a few generations, they had forgotten English; their Spanish, at the time Espinosa knew them, caused them problems.” When Espinosa says this, the reader learns that the Gutres belong almost to an ancient biblical era. For this reason, they do not know many modern things. This is an astonishing characterization because it explains why the Gutres would consider crucifixion. Through the setting, Borges also provides the context for the final crucifixion. An important part of the setting is the flood that occurs in the story. The flood is described for several paragraphs and remains a recurring theme thereafter. In the text it is said that “the Salado overflowed its banks”. Borges describes a great flood of Junin, which could be compared to the biblical flood of Genisis. This explains why the Gutres might come to view Espinosa as a God-like figure. The theme of “The Gospel According to Mark” also highlights the crucifixion as its shining star. Borges writes this story as one of naivety and backwardness on the part of the Gutres and an error in judgment by Espinosa leads to the sacrifice. As stated in the quote in the first paragraph, Espinosa thought they were naive and innocent people, but their naivety resulted in his own death and sacrifice. The Gutres knew no other way and when Espinosa came to read to them stories of people like them who had better lives, they connected with Espinosa as a divine figure. The theme fits perfectly with the other literary devices. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Conclusion Overall, the three literary concepts fit together perfectly to move the plot and ending forward. If the characterization is wrong or the setting isn't so impeccable, the ending would make no sense. “The Gospel of Mark” by Jorge Luis Borges takes humanity back to a pre-Christ time and suggests what it might be like if humans returned to their old ways..