This rather depressing story from Dorothy Parker exposes the different socioeconomic standing and sexual standards applicable to men and women in 1920s America. The protagonist (Hazel) falls from being a popular plus-size model to a depressed middle-aged alcoholic. The cause of her decline lies in extreme moods that sour relationships with her husband and the other hard-drinking men in her life. Forced into a demeaning series of casual affairs with married men who pay her keep in expectation of sexual services, she sees only one pathway to lasting peace. Themes: body image, vulnerability, sexual exploitation, loss of identity/self-esteem, depression, alcoholism. More…
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Little Whale, Varnisher of Reality
Seen as an allegory of aspects of Soviet life (censorship and fear of malevolent authority), this story by Vasily Aksyonov contrasts the stressful life of a father with the blissful world of his three-year-old son. Returning home after a difficult day, the weak-willed man would rather spend time in the fantasy world of the boy, whose imagination makes everything right, than make an important phone call. He dreads the outcome of the call, which appears critical to his family and friends, and keeps putting it off. Themes include childhood innocence vs. adulthood, father-son relationships, fantasy, manipulation of reality, fear, procrastination. More…
Father Against Mother
Brazil was the last country in the Western world to abolish slavery. Major themes of this story by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis are the brutality of slavery and the ethical dilemma of the protagonist (a destitute slave catcher whose wife has just had a baby) in returning a pregnant escaped slave to potentially cruel punishment. Literary devices used include understatement (pursuing slaves was … not a very noble profession), sarcasm (They would sometimes be beaten, and not all of them liked being beaten.) and metaphor (That unripe fruit entered the world amid the cries and moans of the mother…). More…
What You Pawn I Will Redeem
In Sherman Alexie’s typical witty style, this story recounts what turns out to be a very special day in the life of a homeless, alcoholic Native American man. The central theme, symbolized by his grandmother’s stolen ceremonial regalia, is the importance of Native Americans being able to preserve and connect with their tribal culture. A second theme is how past injustices and support system failures have resulted in Native Americans having the highest homelessness and poverty rates in the country. Other themes: identity, alcoholism, community, kindness, perseverance, connection. A possible moral: never give up if you really want something. More…
Dead Men’s Path
The major theme of this story by Chinua Achebe is cultural clash, as reflected in the reformist zeal of a new headmaster who objects to local villagers walking through school grounds to access a path that is important to their animist beliefs. Set in a rural Nigerian mission school, the story takes place in 1949 when the country was still under British rule. It is ironic that, being Nigerian, the young headmaster failed to grasp the seriousness of the villagers’ concerns, whereas his “white Supervisor” seems to immediately understand the situation. Other themes include colonialism, tradition, superstition, pride, arrogance, retribution. More…