Vladimir Nabokov once indicated that Signs and Symbols contains a second story hidden behind various textual clues. The frame story, which involves an elderly couple’s dilemma about how to deal with their institutionalized mentally ill son, is a moving piece of dramatic prose in its own right. The supposed inner story has been the subject of much speculation. So far, nobody has convincingly decoded it. Perhaps there is none, Nabokov’s intention being to encourage readers to pay more attention to the signs and symbols in their own lives. Themes include mental illness, alienation, misfortune, suffering, poverty, death, parental love, hope. More…
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The Dunwich Horror
In this cosmic horror story by H. P. Lovecraft, an early 19th century practitioner of the black arts summons an “Elder Thing” from another dimension to mate with his daughter. The result is an unusual set of twins. One has enough human characteristics to allow it to function in society. The other, which takes more after its father, is an invisible monster the size of a house, intent on destroying life on earth and moving the planet to the “Other Side”. Themes include the occult, madness, fear, heroism, realms beyond human understanding, the potential transient nature of humanity. More…
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
This Ambrose Bierce story contains some of the best descriptive language in American literature… so much so that most people will need to read the passage at least twice in order to properly appreciate it. All I can say about the plot without spoiling the experience for those who haven’t read it is that the surprise ending usually sticks in reader’s minds for some time. The major themes: sense of duty; love and sacrifice; the brutality of war; confronting death; near-death experiences; and time (the length of a moment) as reflected in the personification metaphor time stood still. More…
The Stonecutter
This folktale from Japan is about a hardworking man who leads a poor but happy life until the day a mountain spirit decides to grant him several wishes. Predictably, his initial wish is for riches. When this does not satisfy, he craves power. He starts with power over man (as a prince), and moves on to power over nature (as the sun, a cloud, and a great rock on a mountainside). He is never satisfied until finally realizing that a humble stonecutter has as much power as anyone or anything on Earth. More…
The Blind Men and the Elephant
This children’s story from James Baldwin is based on a religious parable from India. Six blind men come across an elephant for the first time. Although they have often heard about elephants, they have never been close to one. They ask the elephant’s carer if they could try to ‘see’ what it looks like by using their sense of touch. At the end of the story, the blind men are arguing fiercely. Each of them has put their hands on a different part of the elephant’s body. Each of them believes that only he knows what the elephant looks like. More…