"The Homunculus" is a concept in ancient philosophy that states the human soul can be seen as a tiny creature. It lives in the heart of man and is very similar to the image of God. In order to stay alive, it needs energy given by food, air, drink, and bodily fluids. These resources come from what the body needs for survival - water, bread, etc- giving way to an interesting thought experiment: if you had two bodies that were not linked together but lived independently from one another would they both die at the same time?
This question was explored by author Jorge Luis Borges in his story called "The Circular Ruins.
The story was published on September 14, 1944, in the literary journal "Martín Fierro"
It was later published in the book "Ficciones". This short story explores the concept of separation of body and soul. The main character, Tungsteno Brús, is an old man who comes back to his home in order to die. He believes that his soul is trapped in a crystal orb which is inside an unknown temple located outside the city.
Tungsteno is a chemist and philosopher who studies matter and elemental theory. One day he decides to travel to find the temple where he believes that his soul is trapped. During his expeditions, he meets a boy who will lead him to the temple entrance. However, Tungsteno is too weak to reach the temple so he tells the boy to go back and retrieve a strong man - Brás Cubas- from town. Brás Cubas is an old man who generally sleeps all day and does nothing. Tungsteno believes that Brás Cubas will be able to find the temple because of his great physical strength.
They go to visit Brás Cubas in town but when they reach his house they find him unconscious. The boy tells them that Brás Cubas fell off a cliff while scavenging for food. They decide to return to the crystal temple and Tungsteno gives the boy some of his belongings in order to convince him that he will not be scared by the place anymore.
The boy, satisfied with what he left behind, goes back to town and encounters a group of men who have been digging up dirt from beneath the village. He tells them that Tungsteno Brús will be arriving soon and says goodbye while they continue their work.
When Tungsteno arrives, the boy is nowhere to be seen. He explains to Tungsteno that he has decided to stay in the temple with his cat. The boy and his cat are the only things that survive inside the temple. The boy believes that as long as they are together they will have plenty of energy and will not die.
Tungsteno leaves without saying goodbye to his friend but when Brás Cubas wakes up he decides to follow him. As a precaution, Brás Cubas brings a few objects with him for use in case he had to survive alone without Tungsteno's help: two knives, some bread, and some wine.
They reach the place where it is believed that there must be something inside the crystal sphere: a dead tree that has been cut in half. Brás Cubas begins to cut the tree but is unable to break it so he decides to use his knife to punch a small hole in the trunk.
Brás Cubas finds a crystal ball inside and he looks at it and sees his reflection. Brás Cubas reaches for the crystal ball and manages to catch it, however, Tungsteno tries to stop him since they have not been able to find any kind of rope. Brás Cubas grabs Tungsteno's neck with one hand while holding the crystal orb with his other hand. Tungsteno feels dizzy and doesn't understand why Brás Cubas is choking him.
Tungsteno tries to raise his hand but when he touches the crystal ball it explodes, killing them both.
Borges takes different positions on the theme of separation of body and soul by using a small detail in the story. The huge crystal orb that Tungsteno finds inside the temple sticks out from the walls in contrast with every other object in the temple. This device makes Tungsteno imagine that there must be something inside this orb because it is so huge. Borges also uses irrationality through Tungsteno's relationship with Brás Cubas because he seems to have more responsibilities than his own existence. Tungsteno does not care if Brás Cubas dies because he knows that his soul is trapped inside the crystal orb while Brás Cubas seems to be more interested in Tungsteno's existence rather than his own.
The relationship between the old man and the boy is similar to the concept of the homunculus. The boy is Tungsteno's reflection. He chooses to stay with the cat in order to find happiness -which was previously denied to him- because he believes that they will never die if they stay together.
The cat also serves for comic relief since it represents a very common house pet that grants some kind of wish fulfillment within the story. The cat grants the boy's wish for happiness by staying with him forever.
A kid, so afraid of the crystal temple, goes inside and discovers that he is not afraid anymore. He leaves the temple and decides to stay in it with his beloved cat. The story ends when Brás Cubas' crystal orb explodes killing both of them because they both want to hold on to it at the same time. The two people wanted to control each other's fate so they ended up dying because of their egos.
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