This story from Hamsad Rangkuti is an allegory of the biblical concept do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Many people are uncomfortable interacting with those who are different or less fortunate. Their solution is to establish social boundaries (fences) that block concerns about them from their lives. The story’s message is two-fold. First, no fence offers complete protection. Second, as exemplified by the vagrant gang, the mere existence of such a fence can bring about the result it is intended to prevent. Themes: (the mother) fear, lack of compassion, selfishness; (the father) kindness, sharing, faith. More…
Disorder and Early Sorrow
The charm of this story by Thomas Mann lies in its relative uneventfulness… no crime, violence, madness or broken hearts! Set in the 1920s, it follows a day in the life of a close, middle-class German family. The major theme is resilience: the struggle of the German people to recover from the social disruption and deprivations of World War I and cope with emerging hyperinflation. Secondary themes are identity, the relationship between history and the present, and the emergence of a more independent youth culture embracing new styles in music, dance, fashion and the arts. More…
A Useless Man
Rather than being “useless”, the protagonist of this story by Sait Faik Abasıyanık admits to having given up on life. A recluse, he hasn’t washed himself or left his Istanbul neighborhood of four streets in seven years. He follows the same routine, meets the same people, and fantasizes about the same voluptuous Jewish woman every day. One day, for no apparent reason, he ventures further afield and is dumbstruck by the changes to and vibrancy of the city. After returning home, he is so disoriented by the experience that he contemplates suicide. Themes include alienation, loneliness, fear, hopelessness, depression. More…
The Goophered Grapevine
Set shortly after the American Civil War, this story from Charles W. Chesnutt is about a “Northerner” with an interest in grape cultivation who moves to the South for his wife’s health. While inspecting a derelict vineyard, they meet a “colored man” who tells how the previous owner had a sorceress put a spell (goopher) on the grapes to stop them being stolen. He then describes the sad fate of a newly acquired slave who, unaware of the spell, “sampled” the grapes. Themes: racism and slavery, the supernatural, greed, exploitation, dishonesty, trickery, karma. More…
A Perfect Day for Bananafish
The major theme of this J. D. Salinger story is an extension of another we have featured by the same author. In For Esmé with Love and Squalor, a teenager’s friendship and compassion help a young soldier recover from PTSD. Here, a returned soldier is suffering its long-term effects. He copes by trying to avoid the company of adults (including his vain, materialistic wife) and finds pleasure in music, poetry and spending time with young children. Major themes: the effects of war on mental health, alienation, loneliness, childhood innocence, vanity and materialism, suicide. More…