Tiny, Smiling Daddy

Tiny, Smiling Daddy: Short story by Mary GaitskillMary Gaitskill doesn’t pull punches. This is one of those rare stories where you (almost) feel sympathy for a protagonist who is a real jerk. A father reflects on the past after learning that his daughter has written a magazine article about their relationship following her “coming out” as lesbian. Any sympathy stems from the fact that there are two sides to his character: the angry, self-absorbed homophobe who threw his daughter out of the house; and the confused, reclusive, emotionally troubled man struggling to face his failings as a father. Themes: father-daughter relationships, teenage rebellion, sexual identity, acceptance, disconnection.

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A Rose for Emily

A Rose for Emily: Short story by William FaulknerWilliam Faulkner’s “Emily” is an eccentric woman who had a privileged upbringing in America’s ‘Old South’. There was talk of mental illness in the family, which may explain her difficulty in accepting her father’s death. They were close and, as he had rejected all suitors as not being good enough, she was left alone in the world. When she finally finds love in the unlikely form of a working class Northerner, she takes steps to ensure they remain together for the rest of their lives. Themes: patriarchal control, class, tradition vs. progress, death, isolation and loneliness, pride, gossip, obsessive love.

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Animal Stories

Animal Stories: Short story by Jason BrownIn this story by Jason Brown, a melancholic young man struggles to deal with his mother’s looming death from a brain tumor. Spanning a brief period from her initial diagnosis in hospital to her refusal of treatment and car ride home, the story is interspersed with memories of the past and diversions involving animal videos playing on the TV in her room. The memories have as much to do with the young man coming to terms with his failures in life as they do with his mother’s deteriorating state of mind. Themes: memories, dysfunctionality, mental instability, devotion, acceptance, nature.

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The Beautiful People

The Beautiful People: Short story by Charles BeaumontThe dystopian civilization envisioned in this Charles Beaumont story has eliminated many of today’s “distractions” such as food preparation, books and even the need for sleep. It has also specified uniform male and female appearances to be adopted by undergoing a “Transformation” (operation) upon turning nineteen. A brave girl resists the change, not only putting her job and family’s social position at risk, but also threatening social stability. As she is frog-marched to the operating theater, she realizes the sinister purpose of Transformation… to remove the population’s sense of individual identity. Themes: identity, body shaming, scientific “advancement”, superficial beauty, conformity.

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Ckeckouts

Checkouts: Short story by Cynthia RylantThis story by Cynthia Rylant deals with the themes of loneliness, puppy love and lost opportunity. A teenage girl is lonely after her parents move to a new city. Her only joy is shopping for the family groceries. This helps the girl take her mind off problems and think more clearly. At the supermarket the girl finds herself strongly attracted to a bag boy operating one of the checkouts. The boy is also strongly attracted to her. Fast forward to the end of the story, and both are with another partner.

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A Useless Man

A Useless Man: Short story by Sait Faik AbasıyanıkRather than being “useless”, the protagonist of this story by Sait Faik Abasıyanık admits to having given up on life. A recluse, he hasn’t washed himself or left his Istanbul neighborhood of four streets in seven years. He follows the same routine, meets the same people, and fantasizes about the same voluptuous Jewish woman every day. One day, for no apparent reason, he ventures further afield and is dumbstruck by the changes to and vibrancy of the city. After returning home, he is so disoriented by the experience that he contemplates suicide. Themes include alienation, loneliness, fear, hopelessness, depression.

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Emergency

Emergency: Short story by Denis JohnsonOur objective is to include stories from as wide a range of well-known authors as possible. Occasionally this entails featuring a story that some may find frivolous or offensive, but others rave about. So it is with this humorous drugs-fiction tale from Denis Johnson. Two friends, a hospital clerk and orderly, stumble through their shift (and manage to save an emergency patient’s eyesight!) while high on stolen medication. They then embark on a drug-addled drive involving a carnival, famous guru, dead rabbits, mistaken military graveyard, and AWOL soldier. Themes: death, despair, escapism, drug abuse, responsibility, and illusion vs. reality.

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Why I Live at the P.O.

Why I Live at the P.O.: Short story by Eudora WeltyThe major themes in Eudora Welty’s comical account of a family squabble are jealousy and sibling rivalry. When a prodigal daughter returns with a two-year-old child in tow the petulant narrator, who has remained at home, is far from welcoming. The story is a dramatic monologue told five days after the events. We only see one very biased side of what happened and, as the narrator is trying to justify her move to the “P.O.”, it is almost impossible to form an opinion as to the accuracy of her account. Other themes: family, isolation, denial, acceptance, pride, independence.

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