Ripe Figs

Ripe Figs: Flash story by Kate ChopinThis flash story by Kate Chopin packs several themes into less than 300 words. The most obvious are the different perspectives on the marking and passage of time. Maman-Nainaine is close to the land and marks events by natural cycles as opposed to the calendar. For her, like many older people, the weeks and months pass quickly. For Babette, thanks to the impatience of youth, time seems to move slowly when looking forward to something. The symbolism of ripening figs (representing the maturing of Babette into womanhood) and chrysanthemums (the “death flower” in Creole culture) indicate other possible themes.

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Borrowing a Match

Borrowing-a-Match: Short story by Stephen LeacockHave you ever asked someone if you could borrow something, and then watched them go to so much trouble looking for it that you wish you hadn’t asked? If so, you will understand the building frustration of the man in this Stephen Leacock story. All he asked of a “decent, ordinary-looking” stranger was the loan of a match. In the process of looking for one, the stranger destroys his overcoat and the parcels and letters he is carrying, and then threatens to beat his young son when he gets home. Finally, . . . (you’ll have to read the story to find out!)

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Kusum

Kusum: Short story by Khushwant SinghIn this story by Khushwant Singh, a young university student belatedly has a sexual awakening. Overweight and physically unattractive, she has compensated by being a model student and good girl with a capital G. Accepting her lot, she has shunned boys and had no interest in sex. That is until her passions are stirred by an accidental encounter with a cheeky young street hawker who makes an obscene, possibly flirtatious gesture at her. She puts on make-up, looks in her mirror, and an attractive, dark-eyed girl smiles back. Themes include identity, self-image, alienation, self-confidence, physical vs. inner beauty, sexuality.

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A Letter to God

A Letter to God: Short story by Gregorio López FuentesThis inspirational story by Gregorio López Fuentes is about a hardworking farmer (Lencho) whose crops are destroyed in a hailstorm. Facing a year in which his wife and children will go hungry, Lencho decides to write to the only one he knows of that is sure to help them: God. He posts the letter, and his faith is such that he is not at all surprised when he gets a letter in reply containing money. In the humorous denouement, Lencho’s faith in God is vindicated, but not so his faith in the post office. Themes: faith, unpredictability, kindness, misunderstanding, ingratitude.

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The Last Night of the World

Last Night of the World: Short story by Ray BradburyThis Ray Bradbury story opens with a question: What would you do if you knew this was the last night of the world? A couple believe the world will end sometime during the coming night. The idea came in a dream shared by everyone they know. The couple decide the best thing to do is accept the fact and go through their evening routine as usual. They even manage to share a joke and go to bed laughing. What would you do? Themes include family, powerlessness, acceptance of the “inevitable”, comfort in routine, self-absorption and global awareness.

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The Bakery Attack / Second Bakery Attack

The Bakery Attack / Second Bakery Attack: Short stories by Haruki MurakamiThe Second Bakery Attack, one of Haruki Murakami’s most popular stories, is the sequel to an earlier, less well-known work. In the first story, an empty stomach symbolizes a life empty of ambition and intellectual stimulation. In the second, it symbolizes the insecurity inherent in a recently married couple’s (as yet) superficial relationship. The man has a lot to learn about his new wife, as becomes clear when she proves surprisingly adept at planning and carrying out a robbery. For the couple, the successful robbery proves a bonding, curse-lifting experience. Themes include marriage, insecurity, gender roles/’manhood’, the supernatural, change (Westernization).

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After Twenty Years

After Twenty Years: Short story by O. HenryThis story by O. Henry shows how keeping a promise to a friend can sometimes have adverse consequences. Two boyhood friends lose touch after one of them decided to “go West” to make his fortune. When he left, the two made a solemn promise to meet again outside their favorite New York restaurant in twenty years. Both kept the promise, and it is likely that after the meeting both regretted the way it went. Themes include friendship, honor (keeping one’s word), loyalty vs. duty, time and change, crime and justice.

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Solipsist

Solipsist: Flash story by Fredric BrownWikipedia defines solipsism as the idea that only one’s (your own) mind is sure to exist. This story by Fredric Brown takes an irreverent view of the universe and the place of one solipsist in it. Walter B. Jehovah has had a bad week. He decides to end it all… not just his life, but everything. After some initial success, he finds that the only way for him to cease to exist is to create a new universe and float around alone for millions of years until another suicidal solipsist emerges to replace him. Themes include perspective, existence, creation.

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