Marriage Is a Private Affair

Marriage Is a Private Affair: Short story by Chinua AchebeThe major themes of this early story by Chinua Achebe are generational conflict and change/progress. A young Nigerian couple living in 1950s Lagos decide to get married. They are from different ethnic groups, which causes tension with the man’s village-based father. He is from the Igbo ethnic group in which marriages are traditionally arranged by parents and restricted to others within the group. When the couple marry in defiance of tradition, the man’s father cuts off contact. Eight years later, a letter and rainstorm cause him to regret the decision. Other themes: family, tradition, bigotry, gender roles, defiance, pride, remorse.

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Aftermath

Aftermath: Short story by Mary Yukari WatersThis story by Mary Yukari Waters deals with several often overlooked aspects of war: its effect on the families of those who don’t return, the resultant scarcity of basic necessities, and the impact of occupational forces on the lives of the loser. In the aftermath of World War 2, a young Japanese mother struggles to deal with the loss of her husband, her young son’s growing Americanisation and dimming memories of his father, and the fundamental shifts taking place in Japanese society. Themes include loss, grief, memory, customs and tradition, motherhood, change.

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The Old Man and the Sea

The Old Man and the Sea: Novella by Ernest HemingwayThe central character in this award-winning novella by Ernest Hemingway is a down on his luck, aging fisherman who hasn’t caught a fish for 84 days. Convinced things are about to change, he ventures further out to sea than usual and hooks a giant marlin longer than his small boat. He finally reels it in after a three-day struggle and secures it to the side of his boat. Sadly, his prize is “stolen” on the way back to shore. Themes: man vs. nature, friendship, luck, memories, perseverance, suffering, religion, pride, defeat (a man can be destroyed but not defeated).

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The Enormous Radio

The Enormous Radio: Short story by John CheeverLike many John Cheever stories, the major themes of The Enormous Radio are appearances vs. reality and the myth of urban bliss. Other themes include eavesdropping, obsession, secrecy, smugness, self-delusion and hypocrisy. A seemingly contented couple’s life changes when a malfunctioning radio begins to pick up conversations from people in surrounding apartments. The woman becomes obsessed with listening in and, after learning her neighbors’ secrets about affairs, marital and financial problems, etc., begins to look down on them. This feeling of superiority is soon dashed when her husband points out some unsavory aspects of her own past.

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Gorilla, My Love

Gorilla, My Love: Short story by Toni Cade BambaraHazel, the protagonist in this Toni Cade Bambara story, is a feisty African-American girl growing up in New York City. Its major theme, truth and honesty, is conveyed through Hazel’s anger over two events: a misrepresented movie title and an offhand promise made to pacify her as a child. Her initial reaction to the first (demanding a refund) demonstrates growing maturity. Her emotional reaction to the second (tears) indicates she hasn’t quite got there. Given Hazel’s angry (criminal) response when refused the refund, one feels sorry for poor Hunca Bubba! Other themes: family, racism, deceit, anger, protest, betrayal.

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The Canal

The Canal: Short story by Richard YatesIn this story by Richard Yates, two men at a cocktail party learn that their army divisions fought alongside each other during a bloody World War 2 canal crossing. One boasts about his role in the operation; the other is reluctant to share information. As their wives compete to build up their respective husband’s roles in the fighting, readers learn that although the second man performed equally as bravely, due to some mistakes along the way he would rather forget what happened. Themes include memory, conceit, gender roles, glorification of war vs. the reality of war, self-esteem, humiliation and shame.

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The Guilty Party – An East Side Tragedy

The Guilty Party – An East Side Tragedy: Short story by Gary SotoThis story by O. Henry takes recent events in America, where parents have been found partly responsible when their child commits murder, to a new level. A young man boasts to friends that he will teach his fiancée a lesson by taking another girl to a dance. The fiancée makes good her promise to kill him if he does, then flees and commits suicide. A heavenly court absolves her of the crime, blaming a red-haired, unshaven, untidy man, sitting by a window reading while his children play in the streets.. Themes include guilt and innocence, parental neglect, love, betrayal, redemption.

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To the Man On the Trail

To the Man On the Trail: Short story by Jack LondonIn this Jack London story, a group of Alaskan miners celebrating Christmas greet a stranger warmly. The man is in a hurry. He shares a drink, passes around a picture of his family, and asks to be awakened in four hours to be on his way. Shortly after he leaves, a policeman arrives claiming the stranger had stolen $40,000. The men are initially angry at being deceived. However, when they learn he had only stolen money owed to him, they drink to the stranger’s good luck and “confusion to the police”. Themes include camaraderie, betrayal, morality, wilderness justice.

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