The popular interpretation of this story by Zora Neale Hurston is that two young newlyweds (Joe and Missie May) have what appears to be a perfect marriage until a boastful newcomer from Chicago (Otis) opens an ice-cream parlor in their small Southern town. The couple’s playful, passionate bliss is shattered when Otis, who appears wealthy and sophisticated, seduces Missie May in exchange for promises of gold. In most short stories, this would lead to a tragic ending. Not here! The couple come out of it seemingly happier than ever. Themes: poverty, love, deception (appearances vs. reality), temptation, betrayal, guilt, forgiveness. More…
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The Wedding Dance
The major themes of this touching story by Amador Daguio are tradition, love and courage. Set in pre-colonial Philippines, a villager follows custom and remarries when his wife fails to conceive. Despite their pledges of love, neither challenges this unwritten law. Whether the theme of “courage” has positive or negative connotations for the protagonist depends on the reader’s interpretation as to why she walks away from her husband’s second wedding dance. Is this because she lacks the courage to confront the tribal elders, or because she finds the courage to “let go” and sacrifice her happiness for her husband’s honor? More…
A Point at Issue!
This early Kate Chopin story explores the relationship between unconventional 1880s newly-weds. A progressive mathematics professor marries his ideal woman: independent, intuitive, intellectual and extremely good to look at. After a European honeymoon, they decide to live separate lives for one or two years. She stays in Paris to become fluent in French, while he returns to teaching in America. The relationship is tested when he writes about the interesting emotions a friend’s young daughter stirs in him, and she is caught with an embarrassed young man in her studio. Themes: independence and equality, trust vs. suspicion, jealousy, repression. More…
Glory
Glory (aka Glorybetogod), the protagonist in this Lesley Nneka Arimah story, is so screwed-up and irresponsible as to be almost likeable. As foreshadowed by her grandfather at birth, Glory’s history is one of poor life choices. At the end of the story, she has yet another decision to make. A “yes” will lead to the kind of life that most single Nigerian women her age dream of. A “no” could send her back to contemplating how a bottle of Moscato would pair with thirty gelcap sleeping pills. Themes: superstition, parental expectations, choices and consequences. More…
A Retrieved Reformation
In this story from William porter (aka O. Henry), safe-cracker Jimmy Valentine gives up his life of crime for love. He changes his identity, builds a successful business, and becomes a model citizen. Unfortunately, police detective Ben Price is hot on Jimmy’s trail. The title reflects Price’s decision to let Jimmy “retrieve” his “reformed” life after witnessing him risk it all to save a child. Themes: love, reform, redemption and identity. Love succeeds in reforming Jimmy where the justice system had failed. Redemption comes with Jimmy’s potential sacrifice. A possible moral: there is a Ralph Spenser (good side) in everyone. More…
The Love Potion
A major theme of this Herman Bosman story is the importance of tradition, myth and storytelling in the lives of Boer settlers. The narrator begins by asserting that everyone in the Marico knows that juba-berry juice can make a woman fall in love with a man. He then relates a tongue-in-cheek story of how he once “helped” a shy policeman use the juice to win a girl’s heart. The ambiguous ending leaves it unclear whether the potion really worked. Other themes: love, fear of rejection, superstition/magic vs. reality, morality (lack of respect for the girl and her right to decide). More…
Letter From an Unknown Woman
In this moving story by Stefan Zweig, a playboy writer receives a letter from a lovesick, dying woman. She has worshipped him all her life, they have had two brief dalliances, and she has borne his son. Yet he has no idea who she is! Until their son was born, he was the sole focus of her life; for him, she didn’t exist. Readers are left with a question. If she loved him so much, why send a letter that may haunt him for the rest of his days? Themes: philandering, obsessive love, sacrifice, passion, suffering, confession, death. More…
The Offshore Pirate
Several F. Scott Fitzgerald stories feature spoiled young women from wealthy families who make a sport of manipulating the men around them. Ardita, the flapper protagonist in this romantic adventure, is one of the rudest, most obnoxious of these. A highlight of the story is Fitzgerald’s powerful descriptive language. A disturbing feature for today’s readers is the use of 1920s social and racial slurs in building Curtis Carlyle’s backstory. Major themes include wealth, egotism, rebellion against authority, escapism, racism and class-consciousness. Despite the closing “illustrative” kiss, one wonders if any relationship with Ardita could have a happily ever after ending. More…
The District Doctor
The major themes of this story by Ivan Turgenev are duty, lying, love, death and betrayal. A doctor becomes infatuated with a beautiful 20-year-old patient. As the woman’s condition worsens, he lies to her family about her chances of recovery. On sensing her coming death, the woman tells the doctor she loves him. He replies that he also loves her, accepts her ring, and promises to ask for her mother’s blessing. When the woman confesses their love to her mother, the doctor denies everything and blames her fever. Broken-hearted, she for asks his forgiveness and re-affirms her love before dying. More…
Titanic Survivors Found in Bermuda Triangle
Robert Butler’s Titanic survivor is an early 1900s women’s rights campaigner. After “waking up” in a lifeboat off the Miami coast in the 1990s, she realizes that there is no place for her in the modern world. Women have been emancipated, and her family and friends are all dead. A gender-confused misandrist, the only man she has ever had strong feelings for (other than her father) went down with the Titanic. Having lacked the courage to express her feelings at the time, she decides to find him again. Themes: change, father-daughter relationships, finding purpose and meaning in life, sexuality, love. More…
The Shadow in the Rose Garden
This story by D. H. Lawrence is about a couple in a loveless marriage. Upon learning that her ex-lover had died, the woman married “below her station”. She convinces her husband to holiday in the village where she met the lover. While visiting a rose garden, she finds him still alive. However, he has suffered brain damage and doesn’t remember her. During an argument, the woman tells her husband about the relationship. His responses range from disbelief to jealousy, anger, rage and finally, grudging acceptance. The big question: What drove the ex-lover to “chuck” the woman and go away? More…
The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky
The major theme of this story from Stephen Crane is the taming of America’s ‘Wild West’. The instrument of change is the railroad, which brings ‘Eastern’ ways to previously isolated communities like Yellow Sky. The town’s Marshall, who returns from a city visit with a new wife, symbolizes the transition. As the couple approach their new home, where things will certainly be different for the Marshall, they are confronted by the town drunk spoiling for a fight. When the ‘showdown’ doesn’t go as the drunkard expects, he realizes the old days are gone forever. Other themes: community, marriage, fear, violence. More…
Crazy Sunday
This partly autobiographical story from F. Scott Fitzgerald deals with the relationships between an up-and-coming Hollywood screenwriter (Joel), a powerful movie director (Miles), and the director’s wife (Stella). All three suffer major insecurity issues thanks to Hollywood’s toxic, highly competitive culture. Miles is a troubled adulterer; he and Stella look upon Joel as a friend/confidante; Joel has much stronger feelings for Stella. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending how you look at it), Miles dies before the seemingly inevitable marriage bust-up, and the future of Joel and Stella is left up in the air. Themes: insecurity, jealousy, appearances, romance, infidelity. More…
The Love of My Life
This T. C. Boyle story holds a powerful message for teenagers in their first serious relationship. All too often, young lovers mistake the closeness that comes with shared sexual awakening for long-term, enduring love. The truth remains hidden until the relationship is tested in some way, in this case with an unplanned pregnancy. Initially, readers admire the young couple for the strength of their affection towards each other. Disappointment begins with the girl’s selfish indecision about the pregnancy, quickly followed by disgust at the couple’s terrible treatment of the new-born baby and willingness to blame each other for what happens. More…
The Romance of a Busy Broker
This title of this humorous but unlikely story by William Porter (aka O. Henry) might be a clever play on words. The setting is the office of Harvey Maxwell, a busy New York stockbroker, over the space of a single morning. When Harvey sits down at his desk, it is as if he changes from a man into a machine. He puts everything else out of his mind. It is a bad day on the stock market and, when things get quieter at lunchtime, he realizes that he has forgotten something more important than making money. More…
Long Walk to Forever
Kurt Vonnegut described this semi-autobiographical tale, written in honor of his wife, as a sickeningly slick love story. A satire of the “love at first sight” romance cliché, it describes how, after a platonic friendship of almost twenty years, a single expression of love and two kisses is all it takes for Catharine to question her plans to marry another man and fall into Newt’s arms. Themes include communication (failure to express/discuss their feelings sooner), taking people for granted (Newt didn’t appreciate how much Catharine meant to him until almost losing her!), and fighting for what is important in life. More…
The Lagoon
The major message of this acclaimed story from Joseph Conrad is that you can’t escape reality: there is no place where death is forgotten — where death is unknown. Arsat, a powerful warrior, risks all for the love of a royal slave girl. While making their escape, he abandons his devoted brother as he is being attacked by pursuers. Some time later, the woman dies of fever in their lagoon-side jungle hideaway. Experiencing remorse over both deaths, he decides that the only path to redemption is (some would say unjustified) retribution. Themes: brotherly love, romantic obsession, courage, betrayal, guilt, isolation, death. More…
Zita
There are two Zitas in this romantic coming of age story by Arturo B Rotor. The first is the woman who caused a broken-hearted young man to seek solace teaching on Anayat, an off-the-grid Philippine island of broken cliffs and coconut palms; the second, an adolescent Anayat schoolgirl who he agrees to teach how “to be a lady”. As sometimes happens, schoolgirl Zita develops a crush on the teacher. When he leaves in the hope of reconciling with his former love, she comes to understand something he once told her. Themes: unrequited love, alienation, depression, teenage infatuation. More…
Winter Dreams
The protagonist in this F. Scott Fitzgerald story has two dreams (three if you count defeating Mr. Hedrick at golf!) The first is the Great American Dream (to become wealthy despite humble beginnings), which he achieves. The second is to win the heart of the seemingly heartless Miss Judy Jones, which proves unachievable. He is a typical Fitzgerald male: driven, successful and passionate about marrying (possessing) Judy where others have failed. Spoiled Judy is a tragic figure: take away the thrill of being chased, and there is little left. Themes include social class, ambition, success, romance, hollowness, failure, disillusionment. More…
Parallel Universes
The title of this Etgar Keret story describes his writing, which takes readers on humorous, often shocking journeys to worlds so absurd they could only exist outside our own. Keret developed a special interest in parallel universe theory when told that thinking about them helped his father get through the privations of Jewish persecution in World War 2 Europe. Although Parallel Universes fits the Keret mould in terms of the absurd contrasts between the described worlds, it is also a poignant love story that ends: I enjoy knowing there’s one place … where I’m falling asleep happy. More…