In this story by Richard Matheson, a woman buys her new boyfriend a Zuni fetish doll for his birthday. A scroll inside the box reads THIS IS HE WHO KILLS…. HE IS A DEADLY HUNTER. As she prepares to shower, the doll turns out to be the real deal. It escapes the gold chain designed to keep the hunter’s spirit locked inside and sets off in search of prey. Although the girl and the spirit appear temporarily happy with the outcome, the girl’s mother may not be! Themes include control, isolation, violence, fear, determination, the supernatural. More…
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Mariah
In this story by Che Husna Azhari, the men of a Malay village gather in the market square every morning to buy a nasi dish for breakfast. It is not that this nasi is any better than they would get at home, but rather because the vendor is an attractive young widow who mesmerises them with her swinging hips and easy smile. The village Imam is love-struck by the woman, who reminds him of his first, unrequited love, and convinces his devoted wife to let him have another. Themes include religious faith, patriarchy, desire, jealousy, love, polygyny, sacrifice. More…
The House on Mango Street / Those Who Don’t / Alicia and I Talking…
Today we have three short vignettes from Sandra Cisneros’s House on Mango Street. Each deals with an aspect of “place”. The protagonist’s Mexican-American family moves to a new neighborhood. Although far from perfect, their small house is special because they own it. It lies in a Hispanic part of town that most outsiders consider dangerous. However, the only time they feel scared is if they drive through “another color’s” neighborhood. A year later, the protagonist reflects on why the house (of which she is ashamed) doesn’t yet feel like home. Themes: childhood, family, shame, belonging, house vs. home. More…
The Homecoming (A Puja Story)
Sometimes the twist in a story is not immediately evident to readers from other cultures. In this story by Banaphool, an Indian insurance agent returning home from an unsuccessful sales trip encounters four strangers in his train compartment. He does his best to sell them a policy until a fifth with a “trunked head” emerges from a top bunk. He then realizes his fellow passengers are important Hindu gods traveling to the upcoming Durga Puja festival. Despite this, he is still able to make a sale. Themes include resilience, embarrassment, persistence, success. More…
The Gold of Tomás Vargas
Isabel Allende’s Tomás Vargas is a lecherous, wife-beating, boastful drunkard. At a time when paper money has lost its value, he is wealthy thanks to gold he buried in better times. He enjoys a luxurious, self-indulgent “macho” lifestyle as his wife and children live in poverty. To add to his family’s misery, he brings his pregnant mistress home to live with them. In addition to Vargas’s wife, the “heroes” of the story are the shop-keeper (Riad) and school-teacher (Inés), who take pity on and try to help the women. Themes include greed, cruelty, morality, dignity, compassion, responsibility, and karma. More…