This Gary Soto story is about facing fear. The protagonist is scared of forgetting his only line in his sixth-grade play. In addition to worrying about being laughed at, another student has threatened to “bury his face in the ground” if he messes up. The play is about the infamous Donner Party. The fear theme is supported in its concluding words: You gotta suck it up (endure hardship) in bad times. Interestingly, although intended to suggest that the starving travelers should have been stronger in resisting cannibalism, this expression could also be used to justify eating dead bodies to survive? More…
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The Laugher
It is tempting to dismiss this story by Heinrich Böll as an entertaining bit of nonsense. On the surface, it is the unlikely tale of a once aspiring actor whose only talent is laughing convincingly and, where required, infectiously on demand. Although much sought after and a financial success, he detests the work because laughter is not in line with his usually sombre character. The story is a sad metaphor for the millions of people around the world who also find themselves trapped in unsatisfying jobs for which they may not be suited. More…
Initiation
In this story Sylvia Plath, a candidate declines membership of an elite high school sorority after successfully completing its demeaning initiation process. Her reasons for doing so reflect the major themes of the story: friendship (fear of being distanced from a friend) and identity (conformity vs. individuality). She visualizes the sorority as being like a flock of sparrows, one like the other, all exactly alike. Her decision is strengthened by imagining herself as a mythical “heather bird”, strong and proud in their freedom and their sometime loneliness. Other themes include hazing, isolation vs. social acceptance, human connection, personal growth. More…
Debbie and Julie
This poignant story from Doris Lessing deals with the experiences of Julie, a runaway teen in her last year of high school. ‘Accidentally’ impregnated, she runs away from home out of fear of her father’s reaction. She flees to London where Debbie, a compassionate call girl, takes her in and acts as a protector and mother figure. Unfortunately, Debbie is away when the baby comes. Julie carries out a grotesque self-birthing plan and must face the difficult choice regarding the baby’s future alone. Themes include parent-child relationships, innocence vs worldliness, choices and consequences, compassion, desperation, abandonment and regret. More…
Pomegranate Seed
In this suspenseful mystery by Edith Wharton, a young woman marries a recently widowed man who admits to having been intensely in love with his deceased wife of twelve years. Everything seems perfect until a series of strange letters arrive, addressed to the husband in obviously feminine handwriting. The letters deeply disturb the husband, who refuses to disclose the sender or the contents. When the husband disappears and the secret of the letters is revealed, it appears that his dead wife may have won a ghostly contest. Themes: love, family, jealousy, honesty and mutual trust in marriage, alienation, he supernatural. More…