The Half-Skinned Steer

The Half-Skinned Steer: Short story by Annie ProulxAnnie Proulx’s protagonist begins a four-day road-trip to attend a funeral as a confident, vital octogenarian in full control of his faculties. Foolish mistakes along the way see him finish the journey a desperate, disoriented figure facing a ghostly “half-skinned steer” in a snowstorm. As he drives, he recalls his disillusioned youth on the family ranch. The memories focus on his sexual awakening and the family’s interactions with his alcoholic father’s flirtatious, story-telling, “horsey” girlfriend. The story’s major theme is ageing and its effects on memories and one’s ability to think clearly. Other themes: homecoming, sexuality, man vs. nature, death.

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The Lagoon

The Lagoon: Short story by Joseph ConradThe major message of this acclaimed story from Joseph Conrad is that you can’t escape reality: there is no place where death is forgotten — where death is unknown. Arsat, a powerful warrior, risks all for the love of a royal slave girl. While making their escape, he abandons his devoted brother as he is being attacked by pursuers. Some time later, the woman dies of fever in their lagoon-side jungle hideaway. Experiencing remorse over both deaths, he decides that the only path to redemption is (some would say unjustified) retribution. Themes: brotherly love, romantic obsession, courage, betrayal, guilt, isolation, death.

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Yellow Woman

Yellow Woman: Short story by Leslie Marmon Silko“Yellow Woman” is a central, usually heroic figure in the folklore of Pueblo Native Americans. Like Leslie Marmon Silko’s protagonist, she is often portrayed as an independent, sexually uninhibited character who connects with the spirit world. This story blurs the lines between that myth and reality. The “real world” presented is full of conflicts: old ways vs. new; pristine landscapes vs. ranches and highways; law and order vs. cattle theft and murder; faithfulness vs. desire. In the end, it is this reality that wins the day. Themes: storytelling, myth vs reality, identity, interconnectedness with nature, empowerment through sexuality.

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Idyll

Idyll: Short story by Guy de MaupassantThis little known story from Guy de Maupassant is about a man and woman who meet and become friends during a long train journey. The idyllic countryside they are traveling through is in contrast to the way the woman feels. She is a wet-nurse (a woman who cares for and breast-feeds other people’s babies) and has not had a baby to her breast in the last two days. She is in great pain because of this, and the man offers to help her. In doing this, the man solves a problem of his own.

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Mary Postgate

Mary Postgate: Short story by Rudyard KiplingSet in World War 1, Rudyard Kipling‘s Mary Postgate, can be interpreted in a number of ways, each of which suggests a different reason for the unusual reaction of the protagonist (a prim, proper, middle-aged spinster) to watching the slow, painful death of a seriously injured pilot. Her almost orgasmic physical response and subsequent behavior – a luxurious hot bath before tea – indicate that she found it an uplifting experience. This suggests that her bitterness was directed at not only the enemy, but also other aspect(s) of her life. Themes: the brutality of war, repression, loss, anger, revenge, release.

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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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