Teenage Wasteland

Teenage Wasteland: Short story by Anne TylerThis story by Anne Tyler deals with different perspectives on growing up and parenting. Published in 1983, the story pre-dates the influence of modern devices such as PCs, the Internet, mobile phones, and even CD players. After-school entertainment involved TV, listening to music (on radio, vinyl records or cassettes) and neighborhood sport. However, many aspects of teenage life have remained unchanged. These include school and peer pressure, and dealing with parental authority and expectations. Without the right kind of support, young people having trouble dealing with these challenges must feel like life is a wasteland.

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Greyling

Greyling: Short story by Jane YolenThis story from Jane Yolen is about a baby ‘selchie’ (human/seal shapeshifter) that is washed up on a beach and raised by a childless fisherman and his wife. Their lives change fifteen years later when a huge storm destroys their hut and threatens to drown the fisherman at sea. The main theme of the story is selfishness. By ‘imprisoning’ the boy on land in the name of love, the fisherman’s wife prevents him from fulfilling his destiny. Other themes: the power of nature, freedom, the supernatural. The story’s message: true love involves letting go and empowering children to be themselves.

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The Voice of God / Holy Panchayat

The Voice of God / Holy Panchayat: Short story by PremchandThe major theme of this story by Premchand is justice. Two men who have been close friends since childhood fall out when one rules against the other in a dispute over the treatment of an aged aunt at the village Panchayat (council of elders). The roles are later reversed when the aggrieved friend, who still holds a grudge against the other, has to judge a complaint against him about a bullock he sold. Their rift is resolved when he sees that in dispensing justice, one must put personal feelings and friendships aside. Other themes include tradition, friendship, responsibility, impartiality.

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Mrs. Frola and Mr. Ponza, Her Son-in-Law

Mrs. Frola and Mr. Ponza, Her Son-in-Law: Short story by Luigi PirandelloIn this story by Luigi Pirandello, a respected civil servant rents an apartment for himself and his wife, and another for his mother-in-law. Gossip rages when he doesn’t allow his wife to leave their apartment, or her mother to visit. He explains to a “ladies’ group” that his first wife (the mother-in-law’s daughter) is dead, and he is supporting her mother, who is crazy. The “mother-in-law” later argues that her son-in-law is the crazy one. Readers are left to decide which of the equally plausible stories is true. Themes include gossip vs. the right to privacy, judging by appearances, relativism.

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A Vendetta

A Vendetta: Short story by Guy de MaupassantThe French writer Guy de Maupassant is said to be one of the fathers of the modern short story. This story is about an old widow who lives in a small village in Southern Italy with her only son and his dog. One evening, the son is murdered. The mother is so saddened by this that she swears a vendetta against the killer. Every day, she sits by the window and wonders how she, a weak old woman with no one to help her, can carry out her promise. Finally, she comes up with an idea and has her revenge.

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A Wife’s Story

A Wife's Story: Short story by Bharati MukherjeeThis story by Bharati Mukherjee explores the cultural transformation that occurs when the wife of an Indian textile executive moves to New York on a two-year scholarship to complete a doctoral degree. The freedom she experiences when no longer bound by the traditions and strict social conventions of her homeland allows her to find her identity. The change is emphasized as she accompanies her husband around the city during a short visit partway through the course, and raises the question of how she will fare upon return to India. Themes include identity, communication, culture clash, gender roles, liberation.

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Tickets, Please

Tickets, Please: Short story by D. H. LawrenceThis story by D. H. Lawrence is a humorous take on gender dynamics during World War 1 after a disproportionate number of women entered the workforce to replace men sent to war. It deals with a group of hardened women (they fear nobody, and everybody fears them) working as tram conductors in England’s industrial Midlands. When a womanizing ticket inspector takes advantage of one too many of the conductors, they join forces and exact sweet revenge. An important (feminist) theme of the story is exploited women finding their collective “voice”. Other themes include power, desire, passion, rejection, vengeance and rage.

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The Mouse

The Mouse: Short story by H. H. Munro (aka Saki)This story by Saki satirizes the social sensitivities of the late-Victorian/Edwardian middle class. A prudish young man who has had a sheltered upbringing returns to the city from a farm visit. Sharing his train compartment is a woman who appears to be sleeping. He soon finds they are not alone… he has a mouse in his pants! To avoid offending the woman and causing a scene, he removes his trousers by hiding behind a blanket. Unfortunately, the blanket falls before can he put them on again and the woman wakes up. Themes include propriety, embarrassment, dissimulation, insensitivity towards others.

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