The Wall

The Wall: Short story by Jean-Paul SartreIn this story by Jean-Paul Sartre, a foreign volunteer in the fight against Franco’s Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War is arrested. He and two other men are put in a cell where they learn they will be shot the following morning. Most of story is about how each deals with the prospect of death. After the other two are led away, the narrator is given a choice: to follow them or give up the location of a Republican leader. Themes include the brutality of war, death, existentialism (free will to determine the meaning and purpose of our life).

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Mrs Plum

Mrs Plum: Novelette by Es'kia (Ezekiel) MphahleleSet in 1960s Johannesburg, this story by Es’kia (Ezekiel) Mphahlele follows Karabo, a nineteen-year-old house-servant working for the enigmatic Mrs Plum. On the surface, Mrs Plum is an enlightened activist who helps Karabo improve herself and campaigns for better treatment for black South Africans. In naming the story Mrs Plum, Mphahlele hints at its major theme: the hypocrisy of many white liberals under apartheid. Deep down Mrs Plum still harbors racist sentiments, cares little for Karabo as a person, and is prone to perversion. Other themes include racism and civil rights, identity, family, personal growth and development, self-awareness and assertiveness.

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The Last Question

The Last Question: Short story by Isaac AsimovIn commenting on this story, Isaac Asimov once wrote: This is by far my favorite story of all those I have written. After all, I undertook to tell several trillion years of human history in the space of a short story…. I also undertook another task, but I won’t tell you what that was lest I spoil the story for you. Although there is very little character development or action, the ending is so powerful that almost everyone who reads it remembers it. Themes include technological change, the search for knowledge, entropy and the fate of mankind, religion (omniscience, creation).

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My Life with the Wave

My Life with the Wave: Short story by Octavio PazIn this surrealist prose poem by Octavio Paz, a man at a beach is seduced by a sensuous ocean wave. The wave insists on following him home, where they begin a passionate love affair. The wave is subject to sudden mood swings and, to make sure she is not lonely, he buys a colony of fish to swim in her waters. The attention she and the fish give each other leads to jealousy and hatred on his part, and an icy end for the hapless wave. Themes include freedom and oppression, love and passion, jealousy, fear and hatred.

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An Uncomfortable Bed

An Uncomfortable Bed: Short story by Guy de MaupassantThis story attributed to Guy de Moupassant is about a man who goes on a hunting holiday with some friends. They are staying in a large country house. When he arrives, the others seem much more jovial than usual. The friends often play practical jokes on one another, so he is suspicious they have planned a trick to play on him. When they all go to bed, he takes great care to make sure that the room contains no traps. He doesn’t find anything, but his friends still have a good laugh at his expense the next day.

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The Kimono

The Kimono: Short story by H. E. BatesIn this story by H. E. Bates a fifty-year-old man looks back on his life from the day, shortly before his marriage, he had an unexpected sexual encounter with a seductive woman in an orange and green kimono. Three weeks later, he left his new bride and moved in with the other woman. So began twenty-five years of bliss and heart-ache as it became clear that, despite their strong feelings for each other, his free-spirited partner could never be happy in the arms of just one man. Themes include female sexuality, desire, passion, infidelity, choices and consequences, regret.

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The Stout Gentleman

The Stout Gentleman: Short story by Washington IrvingThe major theme of this humorous story by Washington Irving is the extent to which we rely on appearance to judge others. A traveller staying at an inn is forced to remain indoors on a miserable, rainy Sunday. With nothing to do and no one to talk to, he passes the time by speculating as to the profession and social status of the only other guest, a demanding, seemingly sophisticated man who remains in his room all day. We learn little more about the other man, who the staff refer to only as the stout gentleman. Other themes: curiosity, obsession, identity.

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Shiloh

Shiloh: Short story by Bobbie Ann MasonIn the same way that Shiloh Military Park is the site of a major turning point in the American Civil War, the couple in this story by Bobby Ann Mason face several turning points of their own. The first, always lingering in the background and never spoken of, is the death of their infant son. Later comes an accident that forces the truck-driver husband to give up his job, and an identity crisis that results in his wife seeking a new beginning in life. Themes: loss, guilt, avoidance, individual and community change, marriage, gender roles, self-discovery/fulfillment, independence.

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