Major themes of this humorous story by Minh Quan include alienation, indoctrination, insecurity, obsession and motherhood. An orphaned Vietnamese girl grows up constantly being told that, because she was brought up on an animal (cow milk) based baby formula, she will grow into a barbarous woman devoid of human sentiment. This and many other evils, her uncle says, is all the fault of the French. The comments not only reinforce her lowest in the household childhood inferiority complex, but also lead to an unhealthy obsession with her breasts and breast-feeding when she has her own children. More…
Thirst
The major theme of this story by Ivo Andrić is man’s inhumanity to man. Set in a remote Bosnian village shortly after Austrian annexation, gendarmes capture a rebel leader with a festering chest wound. He is thrown in a cell without treatment and denied water until he names his co-conspirators. As the gendarme commander sleeps soundly, his young wife listens to the man’s screams and pleas for water throughout the night. When she finally falls asleep, her husband wakes and forces himself on her. Other themes include justice, duty, betrayal, brutality, isolation and loneliness, despair, sexuality. More…
Snow, Glass, Apples
This Neil Gaiman story is yet another re-invention of the Snow White tale. However, a shift in point-of-view from a third-person omniscient narrator to the first-person perspective of the Queen allows the story to be re-imagined in a way we are unlikely to see from Disney. The much-maligned Queen knows a little magic (enough to glimpse the future and enchant the King), but not enough to match her evil stepdaughter. In the end, the Queen’s fate adds a new meaning to the slang term to feel cooked. Themes include power, vampirism, murder, revenge, jealousy, cruelty, sexual depravity (necrophilia, pedophilia, incest). More…
The Laughing Man
This J. D. Salinger story describes the relationship between members of a boy’s club (the Comanches), their youth leader (the Chief), and the imaginary hero of stories told by the Chief (The Laughing Man). One of the major themes is escape from reality through stories. In this context, the Laughing Man symbolizes the imaginary hero in all of us. Another important theme is change. Breaking up with girlfriend Mary results in the Chief “killing off” the Laughing Man, signalling to the boys that childhood pleasures (and life) don’t last forever. Other themes: appearance vs. ability, friendship, death, loss of innocence. More…
Bullet in the Brain
This Tobias Wolff story features a protagonist who is so unlikable that it seems a relief when a bank robber silences him. Sarcastic to the point of being obnoxious, Anders provides some humorous moments (Love the comment about The Killers!) before getting the richly deserved Bullet in the Brain. Unlike Bierce’s Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, where the protagonist enjoys an uplifting moment-of-death experience, Anders re-lives a childhood baseball game. The highlights of his life were the simple pleasures of youth (such as enjoying the musical quality of a strange accent), before losing his innocence to conceit, disillusionment and cynicism. More…