María Concepción

María Concepción: Short story by Katherine Anne PorterThis story by Katherine Anne Porter exemplifies the proverb Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. María Concepción, a pious Mexican peasant, is shattered when her husband has an affair with a fifteen-year-old neighbour and runs away with her to war. When the two return, the girl heavily pregnant, he expects their marriage to continue as if nothing had happened. Maria makes sure of this by brutally murdering the girl. During the police investigation the community covers up her involvement, perhaps sensing that true justice has been served. Themes include patriarchy, betrayal, revenge, moral vs. legal justice, feminism.

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Weight

Weight: Short story by John Edgar WidemanIn this story by John Edgar Wideman, a writer calls his mother and reads her a draft of a story he has written. It opens with the metaphor My mother is a weightlifter, and goes on to admire the way she has shouldered so many burdens throughout her life. She is not impressed. Two days later, she dies. As he reflects on the call he realizes it wasn’t the story that upset her, but his opening words: This is about a man scared he won’t survive his mother’s passing. Themes include motherhood, love, racial inequality, suffering, strength, dependence, grief, fear.

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The Key

The Key: Short story by Isaac Bashevis SingerThe major messages of this story by Isaac Bashevis Singer are that there is a lot of kindness in the world for those who open their hearts to it, and to live life to the fullest. An elderly widow who has lived alone for almost twenty years has become a recluse. With no family or friends, she distrusts everyone and lives in poverty despite having a fortune hidden in her house. A broken key that causes her to spend a night on the streets is her “key” to understanding and redemption. Themes include ageing, isolation and loneliness, paranoia, redemption.

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The Final Problem / Empty House

The Final Problem / Empty House: Short stories by Arthur Conan DoyleToday we have two stories by Arthur Conan Doyle dealing with the “death” and “rebirth” of Sherlock Holmes. In The Final Problem, Holmes has his first and last encounter with master criminal and his intellectual equal, Professor James Moriarty. After a pursuit across Europe, the pair are believed to have perished when they tumbled off the Reichenbach Falls during a struggle. In the Adventure of the Empty House, Holmes miraculously returns to bring three remaining members of Moriarty’s criminal network to justice. In capturing the first, he solves an important murder investigation. Themes include justice, pursuit, deception, courage, sacrifice, death.

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The End of the World

The End of the World: Short story by Dino BuzzatiThis story by Dino Buzzati is a satire of false piety. The fist of God appears in the sky, signaling the end of the world. Two friars, happy to have been proven right, laugh and make fun of the panicking crowds. The rich buy up the services of most available confessors, while charlatans pretending to be priests do house-calls to hear confessions from those who can afford it. A young priest cornered by a crowd mechanically takes confession after confession, before damning them all to hell for cheating him of his own salvation. Themes include piety, Armageddon, fear, greed, hypocrisy.

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Don’t Cry

Don't Cry: Short story by Mary GaitskillIn this moving story by Mary Gaitskill, a grief and guilt stricken woman accompanies a friend to adopt a child in Ethiopia. Because the friend had chosen to adopt independently rather than through an agency, they are initially stonewalled by bureaucrats and find official orphanages closed to them. They gain the necessary approvals after a poverty-stricken mother unselfishly gives up her malnourished two-year-old son, only to find themselves temporarily caught up in a violent civil uprising. The protagonist gains almost as much from the trip as her friend. Themes include love, grief, betrayal, healing, sexuality, determination, poverty, violence.

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Another Pioneer

Another Pioneer: Novelette by David Foster WallaceThis story by David Foster Wallace comprises a single paragraph of over 9,100 words. A writer shares a tale he heard from a friend. A three-year-old boy in a paleolithic jungle tribe has the seemingly magical ability to correctly answer any question. The tribe prospers with his help, developing quickly from hunter-gatherers to embracing agriculture and animal husbandry. Upon reaching puberty, the boy’s answers become more philosophical, challenging questioners and the tribe’s ancient beliefs. Fear on both sides leads to either his, or the tribe’s destruction. Themes include storytelling, superstition, the destructive power of knowledge, self-consciousness, social class/caste, greed, fear.

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The Tiger

The Tiger: Short story by S. RajaratnamIn this moving tale by S. Rajaratnam, a pregnant Malay villager bathing in a river notices a tiger watching her from tall grass near the riverbank. Initially too scared to move, she is surprised as the tiger takes less and less interest in her. Eventually able to swim away, she immediately tells fellow villagers about the encounter. She feels uneasy when a party of men set out to shoot the apparently harmless animal, and is horrified by what they find after killing it. Themes include: fear, connection, compassion, bloodlust, motherhood, conservation (co-existence with vs. destruction/exploitation of nature).

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