Emma Zunz by Jorge Luis Borges: the Concept of Justice

• Main Author: Rosa Vila
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law 2014-12-01
• Series: Oñati Socio-Legal Series
• Subjects: Justice; punishment; truth; Justicia; castigo; verdad
• Online Access: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2519490

<p>Emma Zunz, by Jorge Luis Borges, is the story of a girl who decides to kill her boss in order to avenge her father&rsquo;s death, believing that her father&rsquo;s version of an event that occurred years before was true. Thus, she devises a secret plan, which includes losing her virginity to a complete stranger, shortly before committing the crime, so she could argue that her boss had raped her and that she killed him in self-defense. Firstly, the text shows the contrast between formal justice and taking justice into own hands. Secondly, the question of self-inflicted punishment, which in the story takes place before the perpetration of the crime. Finally, the issue whether truth is the version that can be inferred from the evidence presented in a trial, or the one which is kept to themselves by those involved in a crime.</p> <hr /><p>Emma Zunz, de Jorge Luis Borges, es la historia de una chica que decide matar a su jefe para vengar la muerte de su padre, creyendo que la versi&oacute;n de su padre de un hecho que ocurri&oacute; a&ntilde;os atr&aacute;s era cierta. De este modo, dise&ntilde;a un plan secreto, que incluye la p&eacute;rdida de su virginidad con un desconocido, poco antes de cometer el crimen, para poder argumentar que su jefe la hab&iacute;a violado y que ella lo mat&oacute; en defensa propia. En primer lugar, el texto muestra el contraste entre la justicia formal y la justicia por cuenta propia. En segundo lugar, la cuesti&oacute;n de la pena infligida a uno mismo, lo que en la historia se produce antes de la comisi&oacute;n del delito. Por &uacute;ltimo, la cuesti&oacute;n de si la verdad es la versi&oacute;n que se puede inferir de las pruebas presentadas en un juicio, o la que se guardan para s&iacute; mismas las personas involucradas en un crimen.</p> <p><strong>DOWNLOAD THIS PAPER FROM SSRN</strong>: <a href="http://ssrn.com/abstract=2519490" target="_blank">http://ssrn.com/abstract=2519490 </a></p>