Thank You, M’am

Thank You, M'am: Short story by Langston HughesThis 1950s story from Langston Hughes has messages for both young and old. A teenage thief (Roger) learns that in addition to it being wrong to try to get things “the easy way”, sometimes the person you target is a kindly soul who can ill afford it. Mrs Jones knows what it is like to grow up poor. Instead of handing Roger over to the police, she tries to help him. Sadly, one suspects that her actions (taking the lad home for a meal and friendly chat) would not be safe in today’s world. Themes: crime, forgiveness, understanding, trust, kindness.

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Rain Frogs

Rain Frogs: Short story by Shiga NaoyaIn this story from Shiga Naoya, the naïve wife of a rural businessman is either seduced by or coerced into having sex with a predatory novelist. Surprisingly, in addition to appearing remarkably understanding, the woman’s husband is sexually aroused by her experience. The woman’s reaction is equally surprising. Initially, she is described as being a pleasure to look at but having no light in her tea-brown eyes. After the encounter, she has a knowing smile and “dreamy” eyes, as of someone experiencing a very sweet dream. Themes: tradition, attitudes to women in Japanese society, lack of fulfillment, sexual predation.

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The Fall of the House of Usher

The Fall of the House of Usher: Short story by Edgar Allan PoeThis Edgar Allan Poe story is a masterpiece of the Gothic Horror genre. A man visits a childhood friend in his crumbling family mansion to help him cope with an acute attack of depression. An interdependent relationship exists between the friend, his twin sister and the house (some say a shared soul), which ends in the downfall of all three. The story’s most remarkable feature is the almost total lack of physical action. The feeling of terror and impending doom develops solely from Poe’s descriptions of setting, characters, and atmosphere. Themes: isolation, friendship, fear, madness, the supernatural.

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The Mezzotint

The Mezzotint: Short story by M. R. JamesIn this story by M. R. James, a bookshop sends a mezzotint depicting an early 1800s manor house to a university lecturer on approval. The methodical don, who is also responsible for collecting rare topographical drawings and engravings for the university library, initially dismisses it as being of little interest. However, he soon changes his mind as the image on the mezzotint changes several times over the next day, finally revealing a heinous crime. Intrigued, he feels duty-bound to find the location of the house and discover its secret. Themes include mystery, crime and punishment, revenge, the supernatural.

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The Last Class / Lesson

The Last Class: Short story by Alphonse DaudetAlphonse Daudet’s The Last Class (aka The Last lesson) looks at the disheartened reactions of Alsatian villagers, children and their teacher to the decision that the French language can no longer be taught at their school. Their part of France (Alsace and Lorraine) has become part of Germany following the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, and the Berlin government has ordered that only German can be taught in the school. Themes include language as part of identity, cultural subjugation, the value of education, regret (not only for the changes, but also missed opportunities in learning and teaching), patriotism and community spirit.

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The Faithful Wife

The Faithful Wife: Short story by Morley CallaghanIn this story by Morley Callaghan, a young man working in a railway café is completing his last shift before leaving town to attend college. Shortly before finishing up, he receives a phone call from a customer he has admired but never spoken to asking him to come to her home. When he gets there, she encourages him to sit down, kiss and “make out” for a short time. The woman is married, and this is her way of fulfilling an important desire without being unfaithful to her husband. Themes include the need for passionate human contact, manipulation.

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A Defenseless Creature

A Defenseless Creature: Short story by Anton ChekhovIn addition to his tales highlighting serious issues such as poverty, class, death and unfulfilled expectations, Anton Chekhov wrote dozens of comic short stories to support himself through medical school. In this story, a persistent, shrew-like woman wears down a sickly banker. The exasperated man finally pays money the woman claims is owing to her husband out of his own pocket, even though the alleged debt has nothing to do with his bank. Despite the woman repeatedly describing herself as such, readers are left wondering if the harried banker is the titular “defenseless creature”. Themes: bureaucracy, communication, desperation, persistence.

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Barney

Barney: Short story by Will StantonIt is hard to write an introduction to this Will Stanton story without giving the ending away. Like another of our featured stories, Flowers for Algernon, the plot involves a scientist conducting a bizarre experiment to increase the intelligence of a very special rat (in this case Barney). The major theme is the potential catastrophic effect of poorly controlled scientific experiments. Because Barney is humanized a little more than Algernon (he enjoys flipping through books in the library as opposed to simply running through mazes), a secondary theme is the ethics of animal testing. Other themes: deception, narrow-mindedness, revenge.

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