This story from Khushwant Singh contrasts the superstitious beliefs of a poorly educated Hindu servant (Gunga Ram) with the science taught at school to four bratty children. As the title implies, the story revolves around Gunga Ram’s devotion to the god Vishnu and what to him is a sacred snake (Kala Nag). Singh was a self-proclaimed agnostic. The story, and in particular its ironic conclusion, is a satire of organized religion and animist beliefs. Themes: faith, illiteracy, superstition vs. logic, class, (lack of) respect, change. The story’s message: blind faith can lead to disaster. More…
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A Hanging
This story by Eric Arthur Blair (aka George Orwell) is a narrative essay providing an eyewitness account of an execution in 1920s Burma. By describing only what happens and not telling us the prisoner’s crime, Orwell supports the thesis that capital punishment cannot be justified under any circumstances. He cleverly uses irony to support his case, the most notable instance being the revelation that the jail official in charge of the hanging is a doctor. The narrator’s moment of enlightenment comes when the prisoner encounters a puddle of water on the path to the gallows. More…
A Respectable Woman
Kate Chopin’s ‘respectable woman’ is happily married and looking forward to spending quality time with her husband. She is so disappointed when he invites an old school friend to visit that she decides to be polite but not friendly towards him. At first, the two barely communicate. However, there is a growing chemistry between them. This disturbs the woman, who finds an excuse to visit an Aunt for the remainder of his stay. When the woman learns the man will visit again, she tells her husband: I have overcome everything! Overcome what? Does she plan to remain a ‘respectable woman’? More…
The Necessary Grace to Fall
In this story by Gina Ochsner, an investigative assistant in the claims department of a life insurance company finds himself bored by both the routine of the job and his marriage. He compensates by taking a morbid interest in the unusual causes of death he encounters, and becomes obsessed with learning more about a woman from his childhood neighborhood who jumped/fell from a bridge. While sitting on a ledge of the same bridge trying to imagine her motivation and feelings, he has an epiphany that may change his life. Themes include alienation, guilt, death, suicide, obsession, redemption, hope. More…
A Chip of Glass Ruby
Some people see this Nadine Gordimer story as primarily an anti-apartheid tale. For me, the main theme is exemplified in Yusuf’s “aha moment” when he finally understands why his wife is not like the others. Gordimer shows apartheid for what it is by contrasting those behind it with an extra-ordinary, ordinary woman who doesn’t want anybody to be left out (people without somewhere to live, hungry kids, boys who can’t get educated) and cares enough to put herself at risk by doing something about it. The absence of a denouement in the story suggests that her fight isn’t yet over. More…