The title "Borges and I" introduces the concept of dual identity that is core to Borges's essay. Borges contemplates the nature of identity as twofold. The "I" represents the inner identity, and the name "Borges" indicates the external identity. Creativity, for Borges, begins in the complex inner identity. It is influenced by personality and experience, such as the experience of reading literature. Borges points out that he finds himself more in the books that he has experienced than in those he has written. Thus, his inner identity is shaped by the things he reads, while his outer identity is represented by the things he writes. According to Borges, as soon as he takes an idea and makes it into a story or a book, it no longer belongs to his inner self but becomes part of his public "persona."
The dual nature of personality presented by Borges is problematic to the author. He expresses a feeling of loss when parts of him become falsified and magnified as they transfer to his public persona. Yet, Borges also recognizes the necessity of both parts of his identity. The literature that belongs to the Borges persona is also integral to the inner identity. Borges writes that "this literature justifies" his interior identity. It is the external expression of Borges's internal creative force. Though he struggles with that exterior persona, it is also essential to manifest his creativity.
