A Woman’s Help

A Woman’s Help: Short story by Henry SlesarIn this story by Henry Slesar, a sensitive, handsome man has spent his life having his every need catered for by the women in his life. Unfortunately, he now finds himself trapped in a loveless marriage to a rich, bed-ridden woman who takes pleasure in having him at her back and call. Things take a positive turn when she hires an attractive nurse/companion. Romance blossoms and the two come up with a plot to do away with the wife. Things don’t go as expected, but the desperate husband has a backup plan. Themes include control, despair, manipulation, deception, jealousy, crime.

Continue ReadingA Woman’s Help

Naming the Names

Naming the Names: Short story by Anne DevlinSet during the Irish Troubles, the major themes of his story by Anne Devlin are love, loyalty and betrayal. Other themes include identity, the cyclical nature of violence, urban change/devastation, taking responsibility for one’s actions, and the humanization of terrorism. The plot is non-linear, with regular flashbacks to earlier times. An insecure woman who has been indoctrinated in the Republican cause since childhood joins the IRA. She plays a minor role until a decision is made to target a prominent British official, and finds herself perfectly placed to lure his son (who is also her lover!) into a deadly trap.

Continue ReadingNaming the Names

A Temporary Matter

A Temporary Matter: Short story by Jhumpa LahiriThis story from Jhumpa Lahiri deals with one of her common themes: alienation within a relationship. A young, once happily married Indian-American couple have drifted apart following the loss of their stillborn first child. A week of evening power outages leads to a word game that gets them beginning to communicate again. Although neither raises the big issues between them, there appears hope for a re-building of the relationship. Unfortunately, at weeks end the woman shares news that devastates the man. He responds with a cruel truth of his own. Other themes: grief, guilt, lack of communication, deception, moving on.

Continue ReadingA Temporary Matter

Wise Folks

Wise Folks: German folktale from the Brothers GrimmIn this folktale (aka The Clever People), a cruel farmer is angry with his wife because she was cheated out of two cows. He promises not beat her for it if can find someone more foolish. He soon finds one: a widow who is worried about how well her dead husband is doing in Heaven. The farmer makes up for losing his cows by cheating the widow out of a bag of money and stealing a horse from her son. At the end of the story, he seems to think that it is OK to cheat foolish people.

Continue ReadingWise Folks

A Ride Out of Phrao

A Ride Out of Phrao: Short story by Dina NayeriIn this story by Dina Nayeri a willful, “middle-aged” Iranian-American woman whose life has fallen apart in the United States joins the Peace Corps and is posted to a small village in Northern Thailand. After exploring some of her experiences settling in, the story moves to a visit by her estranged daughter. The mother is a shameless liar and had even lied about the accommodation they would be sharing… a steamy hut with a squat toilet! Needless to say, the visit doesn’t last long. Themes include community life, culture clash, isolation, social conventions, mother-daughter relationships, identity, truthfulness, resistance, perseverance.

Continue ReadingA Ride Out of Phrao

Contents of the Dead Man’s Pockets

Contents of the Dead Man's Pockets: Short story by Jack FinneyThis exceedingly suspenseful story by Jack Finney is a tale of drive, ambition and the pursuit of quick success taken too far. It also raises an interesting question: At what point does a material object become worth risking your life for? A man climbs out of a window onto the ledge outside his eleventh floor apartment to retrieve a piece of paper. Ironically, what is on the paper is “incomprehensible” to anyone but him, and could readily be replaced with two months of repeated research. Themes: misplaced priorities, risks vs. consequences, determination, fear, desperation, enlightenment.

Continue ReadingContents of the Dead Man’s Pockets

The Secret Sharer

The Secret Sharer: Short story by Joseph ConradThe term secret sharer in this Joseph Conrad adventure could apply to both the protagonist (a young ship’s captain preparing for his first sea command) and his fugitive cabin guest. The similarities between them in terms of age, appearance and background suggest that Conrad is using the guest as a foil to highlight the captain’s strengths and weaknesses. Unlike the guest, the captain is unsure of himself and does not project the self-confidence and authority needed to gain the respect of his older, more experienced officers. Themes include leadership, isolation, identity, duality, self-awareness, self-mastery, and the power of the sea.

Continue ReadingThe Secret Sharer

The Ant-Lion

The Ant-Lion: Short story by Judith WrightIn this story by Judith Wight, a brother and sister playing in the Australian bush discover the pit of an ant-lion larvae. Out of curiosity, the boy drops small ants into it. When these prove easy prey, and against his sister’s protests, he drops a much larger meat-ant into the pit. He prevents the meat-ant’s desperate attempts to escape, and the two watch in silent horror as the meat-ant’s abdomen is severed from its body. Disgusted, the two run from the scene. Themes include childhood curiosity, the cruelty of mankind vs. cruelty in nature, horror, shame.

Continue ReadingThe Ant-Lion