The Eatonville Anthology

The Eatonville Anthology: Short story by Zora Neale HurstonRather than a single story, Zora Neale Hurston’s Eatonville Anthology is a series of vignettes and anecdotes about life in a small African-American community outside Orlando, Florida in the early 1920s. Eatonville was Hurston’s hometown, and the power of her anthology is that each story is based on either real people and events or local folklore. This and the use of authentic dialect capture the local color and folksy spirit of the town, and highlight an important theme: the traditional role of storytelling in preserving cultural heritage. Other themes: community, connection, change.

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Misery / The Lament

Misery / The Lament: Short story by Anton ChekhovIn this story by Anton Chekhov, sledge driver Iona Potapov is distraught because his son has died and he feels alone in the world. Another translation of the title is “The Lament” (a show of sorrow for someone who has died or something that is gone). The story addresses the question: What could be worse than the sadness associated with losing a loved one? Chekhov’s answer: To feel so lonely and cut off from the world that you have no one to talk to about it.. Themes include grief, discomfort, indifference, cruelty, loneliness, the healing power of animals.

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Heavy-Set

Heavy-Set: Short story by Ray BradburyRay Bradbury‘s character Lenny (Leonard) lives at home with his mother and has a lot going for him. He has a body-builder’s physique, secure job, nice car, and no shortage of girls wanting to go out with him. Unfortunately, he is also mentally and socially challenged. He doesn’t take disappointment or ridicule well, often barely able to control his temper. The story takes place over a Halloween night. Lenny is excited, but the party he was looking forward to is a flop, leading to a potentially explosive homecoming. Themes include alienation, repression, interdependence, arrested development, fitting in, fear, despair.

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Grandfather’s Story

Grandfather’s Story: Short story by Catherine LimThis two-part story by Catherine Lim begins with the background of the narrator’s grandparents. We learn that the grandfather, unable to live with his wife who cruelly exploited bondmaids (female slaves) in growing a successful garment business, found lifetime love with another woman. In the second part of the story, the grandfather relates a folktale-like account of how the fates of all three were predestined a thousand years previously when the Almighty passed judgement on a Chinese farmer, his good-hearted but naïve wife, and a cruel, mercenary nun. Themes include love, cruelty, slavery, greed, fate, rebirth and karmic justice.

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Markheim

Markheim: Short story by Robert Louis StevensonThe central themes of this Robert Louis Stevenson classic are self-awareness and the nature of good and evil. Markheim, a hitherto petty thief, “steps up” in the criminal world by murdering an antique dealer. It is Christmas day, the dealer’s shop is closed, and his maid has gone out. As Markheim searches the house looking for money, a mysterious stranger appears. Believing him to be the Devil, Markheim must choose between accepting the stranger’s offer of help and killing the returning maid, or paying the supreme price for his crime. Other themes: poverty, crime and punishment, death, redemption, the supernatural.

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Clay

Clay: Short story by Juan T. GatbontonIn this story by Juan T. Gatbonton, a sensitive sixteen-year-old Filipino boy is left horrified and disillusioned after an American soldier he had come to idolize boasts about having seduced a pure woman he is infatuated with (his teacher) and reduced her to being just like the other girls. Set during the period of American rule, the story could be regarded as an allegory of colonialization where an occupying power (Clay) exploits what a country has to offer (Miss Rosete) without concern for the consequences. Themes include coming of age, colonialization, friendship, infatuation, betrayal.

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In the Shadow of War

In the Shadow of War: Short story by Ben OkriIn this story by Ben Okri, a boy becomes curious about a mysterious woman who walks through his village every day wearing a black veil. Set during the Nigerian Civil War, other children think she is a witch; three soldiers looking for her think she is a spy. The soldiers follow the woman into a forest, as does the boy. Sufficient ambiguity exists for readers to question whether the horrific events described in the forest really take place, or if the woman is indeed a spy or simply a kindly benefactor. Themes include loyalty and morality in war, brutality, humanity.

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The Eye

The Eye: Short story by Paul BowlesIn this story from Paul Bowles, a long-term expatriate living in Tangier investigates the death of a fellow expatriate he has never met. The man died from an apparent digestive illness, suspected to be the result of gradual poisoning. Rumor among the expatriate community blamed his night watchman, who had both motive (a reported legacy) and opportunity (he had replaced the original cook, purportedly with a relative). The narrator’s investigation suggests that rather than murder, the dead man was the victim of a ritual healing gone wrong. Themes: expatriate lifestyle (paranoia, detachment, idle gossip), isolation, superstition, criminality vs. fate.

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