The message of this story by John Galsworthy can be summarized in the English idiom “stop and smell the roses”. The protagonist and his doppelganger neighbor are so caught up in their daily routines that they not only fail to notice the beauty around them, but also lead solitary, unfulfilled lives alienated from those outside their immediate circle. The titular quince, with its refreshing fragrance and colorful blossoms, symbolizes rebirth. The blackbird’s song represents the potential joy of life that eludes them. Themes: the beauty of nature, work/life balance, alienation, lack of fulfillment/inner emptiness, appearance, social anxiety. More…
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The Way It Felt to Be Falling
The major theme of this story by Kim Edwards is fear. For the nineteen-year-old-protagonist working to save money for college, the principal fear is losing her mind like her father. Her life revolves around work, helping her overwrought mother with her home cake-decorating business, and hanging out with her mentally unstable boyfriend. When the boyfriend talks her into going skydiving, she faces an even greater fear: death. Her exhilaration over confronting this fear and making the jump help displace her other fears and turn her life around. Other themes include responsibility, loneliness, mental illness, substance abuse, shame, freedom. More…
Carmilla
This 1872 novella by Sheridan Le Fanu was ground-breaking in several ways. It is not only one of the first examples of vampire fiction (pre-dating Bran Stoker’s Dracula by 25 years), but also the first to infer a lesbian element to vampiric attraction. This vampire seems to have a taste for blue blood. Peasant victims die quickly, but two young aristocratic women enjoy her seductive company longer. Could Carmilla have something else in mind for these two, such as spending eternity together? Themes: patriarchy, social class, female sexuality, life and death, the supernatural. More…
The Sheriff’s Children
In this story by Charles W. Chesnutt, a highly respected sheriff with a strong sense of duty protects an alleged murderer from a vigilante mob. He later learns that the prisoner, a mixed race former slave, is his son by a slave woman he had once owned. Believing his son to be innocent, the sheriff faces a dilemma. Should he do his duty (keep him safe until his trial and almost certain hanging) or take responsibility for his welfare (let him ‘escape’)? Themes: race and racism, frontier justice, slavery, identity, regret, duty vs. responsibility. More…
Tuesday of the Other June
Bullying exists all over the world, and can surface in almost any situation where people gather (school, the playground, work, sport etc.) This story from Norma Fox Mazer addresses the difficult question of whether the best approach for the victim is passive acceptance, assertiveness (standing up for oneself), or fighting back. Here, a mother’s advice is to turn the other cheek, smile at the world, and the world’ll surely smile back, while her daughter dreams of kicking, punching, and biting her (the bully) like a dog. Themes: mother-daughter relationships, bullying, fear, the courage to say “Enough!” More…