A Christmas Memory

A Christmas Memory: Short story by Truman CapoteThis sentimental Christmas story from Truman Capote takes readers back to a time when children created their own fun and could safely explore the outdoors alone. The protagonist, a seven-year-old-boy, and his aged but child-like female cousin are best friends; two outsiders who help each other deal with being alone in the world. It is telling that their Christmas fruitcakes are not for neighbors and those who have power/know best (their pious carers), but strangers who either “strike their fancy” or have shown kindness towards them over the years. Themes: nostalgia, Christmas, friendship, innocence, isolation, poverty, coming of age.

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Lamb to the Slaughter

Lamb to the Slaughter: Short story by Roald DahlThe title of this story by Roald Dahl may have a clever double meaning. On the one hand, we have a woman who uses a lamb, or rather a frozen leg of lamb, to kill her husband. On the other, it may relate to the English idiom “Like a lamb to the Slaughter”. This would lead to the question: Which of the characters (the husband, the wife or both) could be described as someone going calmly about their business, not knowing that something very unpleasant is about to happen to them? Themes include betrayal, identity/gender stereotyping, injustice and revenge.

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The Californian’s Tale

The Californian's Tale: Short story by Mark TwainThe major themes of this story from Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) are loneliness, love, loss, madness and friendship. A prospector wandering the desolate Californian goldfields after the mines had all closed is surprised to come across a beautifully maintained cabin. When asked inside by the owner, he marvels at the comfort and quality of its furnishings and obvious signs of a woman’s touch. The man tells him that his wife is away visiting family but will return in three days. The prospector accepts the man’s invitation to stay and meet her, but later wishes he hadn’t.

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The Challenge

The Challenge: Short story by Mario Vargas LlosaSet in 1950s Peru, the major theme of Mario Vargas Llosa’s The Challenge is the Latin American concept of Machismo (being seen as a man among men). When a powerful street thug challenges a man from a rival group to a knife fight, the other accepts. He and his friends put on a brave face, even though they know he has little chance. The thug offers clemency as he begins to dominate the fight but the other refuses, preferring to die rather than admit defeat. Other themes include lawlessness, violence, rivalry, loyalty, honor.

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Off

Off: Short story by Aimee BenderIn this story by Aimee Bender a conceited, deliberately overdressed woman attends a party with the stated objective of kissing three men of different hair color. Her character is defined in an anecdote about how she once named her Great Dane “Off” to play with the minds of other women at a dog park. The independently wealthy woman is highly insecure, struggling to fit in and form meaningful relationships. This results in bitterness and vindictiveness towards other women, and a demeaning climax as she tries to win kiss number three. Themes include self-admiration, loneliness, insecurity, jealousy and bitterness, hope.

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A Horse and Two Goats

Seventh Grade: Short story by Gary SotoThis story from R. K. Narayan is a humorous account of the protagonist (Muri)’s trials and tribulations in a remote Indian village. Its major theme is culture clash (the villagers’ deep spirituality and acceptance of their lot vs. an American’s “money is everything” attitude). Other themes include miscommunication (and how it can sometimes pay off handsomely), change (younger villagers’ loss of appreciation of their cultural heritage, as symbolized by their indifference towards the statue), chauvinism (both men are extremely patronizing towards their wives), and archaeological looting (the American must surely recognize that the statue is of spiritual and/or historical significance!).

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The Eskimo Connection

The Eskimo Connection: Short story by Hisaye YamamotoThe “connection” in this story by Hisaye Yamamoto is a correspondence relationship between a widowed Japanese-American poet living in California and a young Eskimo man jailed in a federal penitentiary. Although initially reluctant to write due in part to differences in age, family situation, culture and social situation, the woman empathises with the young man because of her own experiences in a wartime internment camp. This clouds her judgement, and she naively overlooks hints that he may have a capacity for extreme violence. Themes include loneliness, compassion, matriarchy, family struggle, interethnic bonding, art and writing, violence, imprisonment, religion.

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Nothing Ever Breaks Except the Heart

Nothing Ever Breaks Except the Heart: Short story by Kay BoyleIn this story from Kay Boyle, a harried man working in an airline ticket office befriends a woman trying to reach America from war-torn Europe. The essence of the story lies in his response to a complaint by a fellow employee: I tell you, I can’t do it much longer. I’m at the breaking point. His retort: You’ve been saying that for a year and a half. But nothing ever breaks. We later learn that something has broken for the man (his heart), and it is not over a woman! Themes: unfulfilled dreams, alcohol abuse, self-reproach, despair, flight from war.

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