The 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. More…
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The Ant-Lion
In 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. More…
The Return
In this story by Fernando Sorrentino a man looking out his window witnesses a neighbour accidentally cause the death of a persistent beggar trying to open his gate. Later, he sees the dead beggar “return” and take the form of a newborn baby boy. When the boy is older, he accidentally causes the death of the man who killed the beggar and suddenly disappears. The author has cleverly created the narrator’s character so that, if readers look a little harder, they might question if this is what really happened. Themes include guilt, revenge, justice/karma, unrequited love, the supernatural. More…
Four Summers
This story from Joyce Carol Oates charts the coming of age of a woman through four stages of life: infancy, childhood, adolescence and early womanhood. Her emotional development and the lives of those around her are portrayed through experiences over four summers at the same lakeside bar. Growing up in a working class environment in which hard drinking and angry outbursts are the norm, she is increasingly disillusioned by what she sees. At nineteen, she finds herself married, pregnant and facing a life of the same. Themes include marriage, family and the role of social class in determining one’s future. More…
Other People
This Neil Gaiman is not for the fainthearted. Upon entering a room in Hell, a man meets the “demon” that will be his tormentor. After suffering excruciating pain from each of the 211 torture instruments lining the walls, he asks the demon what comes next. The answer: the true pain begins! And so it does for several thousand more years. In the last sentence, we learn why Gaiman agreed to change the title from his original choice (Afterlife) to Other People. Themes include sin and punishment, and the nature of Hell (suffering and inflicting dehumanizing pain and suffering). More…