This story by Honoré de Balzac recounts the adventures of a French soldier lost in the Egyptian desert during the Napoleonic conquests. He finds a small oasis, but soon realizes that it is already occupied… by a leopard! He befriends the beast and the two manage to co-exist, with the leopard becoming more and more trusting and playful. Although he describes the (female) leopard in increasingly sensual terms, he later learns that the desert holds other passions: (In the desert there is everything and nothing… it is God without mankind.) Themes: isolation, animal/human bonding, distrust, betrayal, finding God in nature. More…
All posts by shortsonline
The Green Leaves
This story from Grace Ogot reads like a folktale. With an overall theme of culture conflict between the modern world and the traditions and beliefs of a Kenyan tribe, the plot can be divided into three sections. The first (ending with Nyagar’s death) has themes of crime, tribal justice, violence, superstition and greed. The second, involving the British authorities, emphasizes colonial arrogance and cultural insensitivity. The third, in which Nyagar’s wife laments his death, introduces a feminist theme. Her chant reflects not only her own loss, but also the powerlessness and complete dependence of all village women on their husbands. More…
A Silver Dish
The central theme of this thought-provoking story from Saul Bellow is protagonist Woody’s relationships with his extended family. Although much of his week is spent fulfilling the sense of duty he feels towards them, he also makes time for carnal and other pleasures. A turning point in Woody’s youth was his con-man father (Morris)’s theft of a silver dish. Despite their differences, father and son remained close and Morris’s death affects Woody greatly. In the heart-warming denouement, he proclaims his love by climbing into the dying man’s hospital bed. Other themes: ethnic/religious allegiances, pretentiousness, humiliation, aging, death, duty, self-indulgence, solitude. More…
A Worn Path
In this Eudora Welty story, an aged woman makes a long, dangerous trek through the Mississippi woods. Its power lies in the vivid descriptions of nature and the various obstacles she encounters. Once in town, she struggles to remember the purpose of the journey. Although we learn later that she has come for the regular medicine needed by her ailing grandson, many readers question if the boy still lives. Her confusion suggests that such visits may simply be a way of handling the grief (or guilt) associated with his death. Themes: nature, old age, perseverance, duty, poverty, dignity, racism, redemption. More…
Han’s Crime
The crime referred to in this fascinating psychological narrative by Shiga Naoya is either murder or manslaughter. A theatre performer (Han) kills his wife during a knife-throwing act. At the end of questioning, the judge asks: Do you not feel the slightest sorrow for your wife’s death? Han answers: None at all! …I never could have imagined I would feel such happiness in talking about her death. The judge (and readers) must decide if the death was a crime or terrible accident. Themes: illegitimacy, infanticide, toxic marriage, conscious vs unconscious actions, legal vs moral guilt, doubt vs certainty. More…