The Soft Touch of Grass

The Soft Touch of Grass: Short story by Luigi PirandelloIn this story by Luigi Pirandello, a “not old and yet no longer young” man is full of emptiness and despair following the death of his wife. In accordance with Italian tradition, his married son becomes “man of the house” and consigns him to a remodeled servant’s room in the courtyard. Alienated, he spends his days watching children play in a nearby park. A misunderstanding by a young girl when he bends to take off his shoes so he can feel the grass under his feet sends him home in misery. Themes include loss, grief, despair, aging, alienation/isolation, loneliness, relativism.

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The Devil and Daniel Webster

The Devil and Daniel Webster: Short story by Stephen BenétIn this American tall tale by Stephen Benét a hapless farmer sells his soul to the devil in exchange for seven years of good luck. When the time comes to “pay up”, he asks Daniel Webster, famed lawyer, orator and all around good guy, to help him get out of the deal. After attempts at compromise fail, Webster insists on a trial according to American law. Although the devil whips up a stacked judge and jury comprised of dead scoundrels, Daniel’s speech about American values wins the day.. Themes include patriotism, temptation, good vs. evil, “neighborliness” (helping others), and righteousness.

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The Indian Uprising

The Indian Uprising: Short story by Donald BarthelmeIf you like stories with a traditional plot, this experimental story from Donald Barthelme may not be for you. Having said this, many reviewers rank it as one of Barthelme’s best. The narrator is the leader of a city besieged by “Comanches”. Interspersed with recounting the battle he shares random, disjointed memories, often expressed in unconventional language. A major theme is rebellion: the “Indians” are attacking the city, many of its unhappy citizens revolt and help them, and his girlfriend supports the Indians and wants nothing more to do with him. Other themes include violence, male-female relationships, deception and betrayal.

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Roses, Rhododendron

Roses, Rhododendron: Short story by Alice AdamsThis enchanting story by Alice Adams is about friendship, love (for people and places), and marriage. The narrator recalls how, after she and her mother moved from Boston to North Carolina, a lifelong friendship developed after she fell permanently in love with a house, with a family of three people and with an area of countryside. She forms a strong bond with each member of the family, and later learns that their shared fondness for her may have been the only thing that kept them together. Themes include friendship, mother-daughter relationships, marriage, city vs. country living, the beauty of nature.

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I Go Along

I Go Along: Short story by Richard PeckA major theme of this story by Richard Peck is the benefit of occasionally stepping out of one’s comfort zone. When junior high schooler Gene “goes along” to a poetry recital with students from a higher English class, he doesn’t “go along” with the students in his own class who ignore the opportunity. Although it isn’t clear whether Gene gains an appreciation for poetry, he is lucky enough to sit with, and starts to “get along” with, the hottest girl in his grade. Other themes include independence vs. conformity to peer pressure, and friendship.

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The Kitemaker

The Kitemaker: Short story by Ruskin BondThe major themes of this Ruskin Bond story are change and the isolation/loneliness of the aged. An old man in a once rural Indian village lays back and reflects on his life as a professional kitemaker and how much the world has changed. The village’s traditional social structure, sport of adult kite flying, open spaces, and once close community spirit are no more. His only joy in life is spending time with and making kites for his grandson. A torn kite carried by the wind far above the city symbolizes release of his soul. Other themes: tradition, nostalgia, pride, mortality.

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The Garden of Stubborn Cats

The Garden of Stubborn Cats: Short story by Italo CalvinoIn this Italo Calvino fantasy, a bored man spends his lunch breaks following a neighbourhood cat on its afternoon rounds through his rapidly growing the city. Thanks to the cat, he discovers a secret world within the city known only to its feline inhabitants. The story takes a grim turn when the cat steals a fish and leads the man to an overgrown garden that provides the last sanctuary for stray cats in the city. When progress tries to claim it, the cats and other animal residents fight back. Themes: social class, the negative aspects of progress, adaptivity, rebellion.

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Good Advice is Rarer than Rubies

Good Advice is Rarer than Rubies: Short story by Salman RushdieThis story by Salman Rushdie satirises several aspects of life in post-colonial Pakistan. When an attractive woman steps off a bus outside a British Consulate for a visa interview, wily “advice expert” Muhammad Ali sees her as any easy mark. However when they meet, he is so struck by her beauty that he offers to help for free. Muhammad is confused when the woman rejects his assistance, attends the interview, and comes back into the street very happy, having failed to get her visa. Themes: power, emigration, deception, tradition (women’s subservience, arranged marriages) and change (women’s growing independence and freedom).

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