The Home-Coming

The Home-Coming: Short story by Rabindranath TagoreIn this heartbreaking story by Rabindranath Tagore, a rebellious country teen who is always in trouble at home jumps at an offer to live with his uncle’s family in Calcutta. However, he finds city life unbearable. Made to feel unwelcome by his aunt, academically backward, and teased at school for his country ways, he yearns for the open spaces and life he had before. The boy runs away, but his journey home ends tragically. Themes include adolescent rebellion and naivety, city vs. country life, homesickness, abandonment and isolation (the need for love and a sense of belonging), reconciliation and death.

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The Day the Dancers Came

The Day the Dancers Came: Short story by Bienvenido SantosThis story by Bienvenido Santos is about an aging Filipino expatriate who feels cut off from his culture. After years of menial work in the United States, the protagonist has no remaining family and only one local, possibly terminally ill, Filipino friend. Rather naïvely, he decides to approach and offer to host to a group of visiting tinikling dancers. He is ignored, but makes an audio recording of their performance to remember them by. In the depressing denouement, he faces the grim reality of losing them all. Themes include nostalgia, connection with one’s roots, aging and death.

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A Good Man is Hard to Find

A Good Man is Hard to Find: Short story by Flannery O'ConnorFlannery O’Connor is a master at coming up with stories in which almost every main character has some kind of flaw. It is hard to like any of this dysfunctional family of six (except maybe the baby) as they cruise down Highway 441. When their car overturns beside a deserted road, they attract the attention of a crazed killer who calls himself “The Misfit”. As the rest of the family are murdered around her, the grandmother tries to convince the Misfit that deep inside he is one of those hard to find men. Themes: prejudice, deception, violence, religion, “goodness”, redemption

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Neighbours

Neighbours: Short story by Moe Moe (Inya)Set in 1970s Burma, this story by Moe Moe (aka Inya) uses the experiences of a young couple with a four-month-old child to explore the theme of “neighborliness”. Moving to the suburbs after living with family “downtown”, they find the neighbors friendly and helpful but also experience incidences of prying, malicious gossip, quarreling, greed, and pressure to keep up appearances. Moving to an apartment closer to the city, they find an individualistic environment where nobody even talks to their neighbors. This leaves the poor protagonist with no idea what sort of neighborhood she wants to live in.

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The Boy Who Broke the Bank

The Boy Who Broke the Bank: Short story by Ruskin BondAlthough published over thirty years ago, this light-hearted story by Ruskin Bond highlights a major problem in today’s world: the spread of fake news on social networks based on incomplete or inaccurate information. A young sweeper working for an Indian bank is paid late, presumably because of his lowly caste. He complains to a friend, who mentions it to a customer, and soon word spreads throughout the bazaar that the bank cannot pay any of its salaries. This causes panic among depositors, leading to a run on the unfortunate bank. Themes include social class, exploitation, discontent, rumor, panic, crowd psychology.

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The End of the Party

The End of the Party: Short story by Graham GreeneAlthough the 9-year-old twins in this Graham Greene story look the same, they have very different psychological dispositions. The first-born (Peter) is self-confident and has a special connection with his brother. The younger (Francis) has an anxiety disorder that results in unreasoning fear, particularly of the dark. Peter feels what Francis feels, and is fiercely protective of him. Despite their best efforts to avoid it, the two attend a birthday party that will include a game of hide-and-seek in the dark. During the game, a thoughtless act by Peter has tragic results. Themes: innocence, brotherhood, connection, fear, adult insensitivity, death.

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Town and Country Lovers

Town and Country Lovers: Short story by Nadine GordimerAlthough the South African law banning sexual intercourse between “whites” and “non-whites” was repealed in 1985 (five years after Nadine Gordimer wrote this story), inter-racial and inter-religious relationships are still frowned upon in some cultures. Moreover, as in the story, the consequences for women are often much more severe than for men. Despite the obvious affection between the two couples in the story, questions arise as to whether for the men the sex was a function of convenience rather than love, and the extent to which the women initially felt pressured into participating. Themes: forbidden love, sexual coercion, unequal consequences.

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The Blues I’m Playing

The Blues I'm Playing: Short story by Langston HughesThis story from Langston Hughes contrasts two women with very different outlooks on life. A wealthy, white, middle-aged widow finds purpose and intimacy through the patronization of young artists. Tensions emerge when the woman, who expects her protégés to behave in a manner consistent with her high social standing, takes on a black pianist for the first time. The talented, independent, working class young woman has her own ideas on life, love, and the music she wants to play. Themes: art, paternalism vs. independence, race and racism, sexuality, the significance and transforming power of music.

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