Featured Stories

Testimonial

Testimonial: Short story by Edwidge DanticatThe major theme of this Edwidge Danticat story is cultism. A woman dies after 25 years in prison for murdering her baby son. Her daughter has had to keep a terrible secret. Her mother was a member of a bizarre sisterhood made up of descendants of former Haitian slaves. The killing of her brother was a sacrifice to restore the daughter’s failing health. For years, she has been trained in the ways of the cult. She must now unwillingly take her mother’s place among its membership. There appears no way out. Other themes: motherhood, fear, superstition, destiny.

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By the Waters of Babylon

By the Waters of Babylon: Short story by Stephen Vincent BenétAlthough published well before the atomic age, this story from Stephen Benét provides a remarkable description of a post-apocalyptic world devastated by weapons of mass destruction. Survivors lead a primitive existence. Modern religious beliefs have been replaced by reverence for the “gods” who built (and whose spirits still live in) destroyed buildings. Pointedly, elitism, prejudice and warfare still exist. Priests maintain their status by keeping healing and other knowledge to themselves, and there is constant fighting between the protagonist’s Hill People and the supposedly “ignorant” Forest People. Themes: superstition, destiny, search for knowledge, class, prejudice, warfare, danger of modern weaponry.

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The Gift of the Magi

Gift of the Magi: Short story by O. HenryHave you ever thought long and hard about what would be the prefect Christmas gift for someone you love? This story by O. Henry is one of the most famous Christmas stories of all time. It tells how a poor couple each sell their most valuable possession in order to buy a Christmas present that they feel is good enough for the one they love. The irony is that neither can use the precious gift the other has bought them. Themes (see analysis) include love, sacrifice, wisdom, beauty, generosity, and value.

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The Wedding Reception

The Wedding Reception: Short story by Nyi Pu LayMajor themes of this story by Nyi Pu Lay are tradition (realistically portraying aspects of a working-class Mandalay wedding), and caring and respect for the aged at both a family and community level. The groom’s father is seriously ill and his son, his new wife, and others (including the grumpy owner of the only TV in the neighborhood) go to great lengths to ensure that he has an enjoyable day. Other themes include family, friendship, community, and the wonder of adults and children alike experiencing “modern” technology for the first time (in this case a car ride and watching TV).

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Five-Twenty

Five-Twenty: Short story by Patrick WhiteIn this story by Patrick White, a woman with very low self-esteem spends her life at the beck and call of a rancorous, dominating husband. As they age and he gradually wastes away, they spend their days “traffic watching” from the veranda of their small house on a busy road. She becomes obsessed with a strange-looking man who drives by at five-twenty every day and, following a chance meeting after her husband dies, experiences what may be her first passionate stirrings. Sadly, death comes between them. Themes include patriarchy, gender roles, aging, loneliness, lack of passion and fulfilment, freedom, loss.

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Railroad Standard Time

Railroad Standard Time: Short story by Frank ChinMajor themes of this semi-autobiographical story by Frank Chin are time (symbolized by an inherited pocket watch that keeps Railroad Standard Time), the clash between traditional Chinese and ‘modern’ American culture, and the need to move away from long-held stereotypes of Chinese-American men and women. Ironically for a story that focuses on time, the plot does not proceed linearly. As the narrator drives to and from his mother’s funeral, the story moves from memories of the past to the present and then back again, with the watch providing a connection between them. Other themes: nostalgia, family, cultural heritage, identity, masculinity.

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The Pit and the Pendulum

The Pit and the Pendulum: Short story by Edgar Allan PoeIn this story by Edgar Allan Poe, a man in a dreamlike state of consciousness swoons upon being sentenced to death by the Spanish Inquisition. He wakes to find himself tied to a wooden frame in a chamber housing three forms of horrific death: a deep, water-filled pit; a slowly descending, razor-sharp pendulum; and contracting, red-hot walls. After almost giving up and welcoming death, he finds the will to live and devises a plan to escape the pendulum. As the walls close in, an unexpected visitor saves him. Themes include injustice, sadism, fear, time, the will to live, inventiveness, salvation

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Bartleby the Scrivener: A Tale of Wall Street

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street: Novelette by Herman MelvilleHerman Melville’s Bartleby the Scrivener is regarded as a classic of Modern Literature. A major theme is the depression that comes with being alone in the world and lacking a purpose in life. Other themes include exploitation, insensitivity and guilt (the Lawyer), conformity and coping with boring, repetitive work (Turkey and Nipper), alienation, apathy and passive resistance to one’s responsibilities (Bartleby), and loss of hope and the inevitability of death (symbolized by the Dead Letter Office). The Lawyer’s final words, Ah, Bartleby! Ah, humanity!, reflect the irony of Bartleby finding himself in the two worst possible jobs for his disposition.

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