Essoyan 1 Eric Essoyan 25 October 2011 W20: Literature is Theft! Professor Luis O.

Rosa

Finding Simplicity in Complexity

It seems that with everything in life there exists two choices: good or bad, left or right, simple or complex. The art of problem solving is no exception. There exists, on one hand, the simple approach; rather than getting lost in the confusion of over-analysis, taking a step back and looking at the greater picture is all that is needed to enlighten one as to the solution. On the other hand is the complex approach; if the practice of deep analysis is implemented whereby every aspect of the story is studied, with time and effort the pieces will eventually come together. The following excerpt from Jorge Luis Borges short story Ibn-Hakam al-Bokhari, Murdered in His Labyrinth poses a perfect example of the conflict that often arises between these opposing styles of analysis. Pleaselets not multiply the mysteries, [Unwin] said. Mysteries ought to be simple. Remember Poes purloined letter, Zangwills locked room. Or complex, volleyed Dunraven. Remember the universe (Borges 96). Upon the first reading, this passage can easily go unnoticed. Appearing to be simple dialogue amongst two companions, it is often not until after multiple re-readings that its paramount significance is made apparent. In fact, the entirety of the storys main theme is contained in these few lines. This short conversation serves as an excellent introduction to the short storys tone. Given that it is placed at the onset of the novel, readers are immediately aware of the tone that will be carried throughout the remainder of the story. The two men are clearly argumentative, yet there is a peaceful, pensive tone

Essoyan 2 about them. Unwin does not demand that his friend listen to his ideas but politely requests that he does so. Furthermore, he provides clear evidence demonstrating his intelligence. Dunraven is quick to respond with a witty and equally evidenced response of his own, not breaking away from the calm and pensive tone. Such a tone is important in this story. Keeping the reader calm, it allows for the mind to take over. Suppressing emotion that would be brought about by a heated, intense tone, this passage instead puts the reader in a relaxed state in which he can fully engage in the discussion of the two protagonists. As mentioned previously, the importance of this passage is not blatantly obvious at first glance. The evidence the men pose to one another distracts the readers attention. The titles of the works of literature referenced by Unwin are not only interesting and attention grabbing, but they force the reader to search his memory for any information regarding such works, even if this search is subconscious. On the other hand, the broad reference to the universe brings to mind an endless amount of possible thoughts, images, and other distractions. Regardless of how the distraction is manifested, it is very likely that it keeps readers from noticing the two most important words in the passage: simple and complex. Unwin represents the simple, and Dunwin the complex. When Dunwin explains that the mystery of Ibn-Hakams death cannot be solved and lists several reasons why, Unwin stops him. He corrects him for trying to complicate something that is so simple. But what is the meaning of simplicity to Unwin? Ironically, the meaning of simplicity is not that simple. The most common definition is an entity

Essoyan 3 that is easily understood. In terms of a mystery, this would require that the solution be easy to come across without much effort. If this is the meaning that Unwin implies, then the mysteries contained in his two pieces of evidence must be easy to solve. And yet, this is hardly the case. The Purloined Letter is a short story by Edgar Allen Poe that similarly describes a detective story. A letter has been stolen from an anonymous woman, and after months of searching the police force is unable to find anything. They hire a professional detective named Dupin to solve the case. Within a few days he presents the letter. He goes on to explain to the narrator that the police force made things much too complicated. All they had to do was step back and look at the overall picture. The culprit knew the police would expect him to hide the letter in a masterfully clever and secretive location. And so, he chose to leave it out in the open. The second reference Unwin makes is to a writer by the name of Israel Zangwill. Zangwill is praised as the father of the locked room mysteries, stories in which a crime such as a murder takes place in a locked room that is believed to be inaccessible. In his novella The Big Bow Mystery, Arthur Constant is found with a slit throat one morning in the corner of his locked bedroom. No character can seem to deduce how an intruder got in our out, and there does not appear to be a weapon for suicidal means. Several red herrings take the reader down a path of intense overanalysis, only to discover at the end of the novel that there was a trap door in the floorboards.

Essoyan 4 The solutions to these two mysteries were not simple in the idea that they were easy to solve. An entire police force was dedicated to solving the mystery of the missing letter, but they found nothing. And yet Unwin claims that this mystery is simple. At this point in ones analysis it becomes clear that this usage is not synonymous with easiness. Rather, the mysteries are simple in that they contain one understandable solution. The process of discovering the solutions is not necessarily easy, yet once known the solutions themselves are simple and straightforward. An alternate definition of simplicity in the dictionary is free of secondary complications (Merriam-Webster). This definition applies perfectly as Unwin pleads that Dunraven not multiply the mysteries (Borges 96). Unwin sees the mystery as having one solution free of secondary complications. When Dunraven rambles about the various reasons the mystery is complex, he is merely creating secondary complications that jeopardize its simplicity. Thus, Dunraven does not yet understand Unwins definition of simplicity. And so he draws on a reference of his own in defense of his mathematic, complex over-analysis, asking his friend to remember the universe (Borges 96). Also an intelligent man, Dunraven presents a good point here. Nothing in the universe is simple. For thousands and thousands of years man has pondered the workings of the universe. Even today with modern science man has hardly scraped the surface of complete understanding. Everywhere one looks he is met with complexity and misunderstanding. Anything appearing to have substance is actually made up of an unfathomable amount of microscopic particles known as atoms, which are in turn

Essoyan 5 made up of even smaller counterparts. Dunraven looks at this mystery as he looks at the universe; it is a complex entity that may never be fully understood. It is for these reasons that Unwins simplicity is so important. The chosen passage is from the onset of the short story, and thus the reader does not know until the end of the short story that Unwins methods trump those of Dunravens when he solves the mystery. What was believed to be a mystery involving ghosts and superstition was really just a matter of identity theft. The solution itself is simple, but Unwin was the only one capable of solving it given that he looked at the larger picture. He did not obsess over the minor details like the others did, but rather searched for the single answer to solve the overall mystery. All of the above described characters that were unable to solve mysteries failed because they were looking too closely. Dunraven, just like Poes Paris police and Zangwills oblivious characters, should have taken Unwins advice. Mysteries are meant to be simple, not complex. These characters treated their mysteries as complexities of the universe. Distracted by the abundance of minor details, they failed to see what was lying right before their eyes. While analysis is meant to be eye opening, over-analysis can often prove to be blinding. The closer one looks and the deeper one analyzes, the more complications he poses for himself. The one simple solution can always be made obvious, but not until a step is taken back.

Essoyan 6 Works Cited Borges. The Aleph and Other Stories. Andrew Huxley (trans). London: Penguin 1998. 96. Print. Merriam-Webster. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011. Web. <http://www.merriamWebster.com/dictionary/simple>.