The Switchman

The Switchman: Short story by Juan José ArreolaIn this story by Juan José Arreola, a man waiting for a train in Mexico is interrupted by a retired switchman who tells him he has little chance of getting to his destination. After outlining a long list of problems with the railway system and the hazards of using it, he “dissolves” at the sound of an approaching train whistle. The story has been variously labeled a satire of the Mexican railway system/government, and an existential horror story about the inability to exercise free will in a world governed by chance. Themes include absurdity, existentialism, corruption, determination, hope.

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MS. Found in a Bottle

MS. Found in a Bottle: Short story by Edgar Allan PoeThis story by Edgar Allan Poe is an MS. (manuscript) found in a bottle tossed into the ocean by a dying man. After outlining his once rational, skeptical outlook on life, he relates the story of how, after a series of misadventures at sea, he found himself on a huge ghost galleon speeding under full sail towards the South pole. He walks around the ship unseen by its crew of infirm old men, who become increasingly excited as they approach their doom. Themes include the power of nature, fear, exploration, rational thinking vs. the supernatural, compulsion to document the unexplainable.

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The Homecoming Stranger

The Homecoming Stranger: Short story by Bei DaoIn this story by Bei Dao, a young woman in 1970s China has difficulty dealing with her father’s homecoming after being falsely convicted of literary crimes and spending twenty years in prison. She feels resentment, not only over what she sees as his ‘desertion’, but also over her mother standing by when she was imprisoned and tortured at age twelve. Fortunately, on coming to understand her father’s love and the courage he had showed, she realizes her selfishness and they reconcile. Themes include the unfairness and brutality of the Mao regime, resentment, hypocrisy, rejection, fatherly love, courage, selfishness, forgiveness, reconciliation.

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Victory

Victory: Short story by Vasily AksyonovThe enigmatic nature of this Vasily Aksyonov story about a casual chess game between a Russian grandmaster and a chance acquaintance stems from its interwoven motifs. Allegorically, the game represents a battle between the intelligentsia (the well-travelled, Dior-wearing grandmaster) and the common people (the brutish stranger). Additionally, as the game progresses the narration is interlaced with temporal shifts where the grandmaster experiences grim visions of desolation, hiding, escape and death. As he is about to be executed in the last vision, his opponent shouts “checkmate”. Themes include Western influence on Russian culture, class struggle, memories, insecurity, fear, ‘victory’ in survival.

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Because He Loved Them

Because He Loved Them: Short story by Samira AzzamThis story by Samira Azzam highlights the catastrophic effect of the 1948 creation of Israel on the half-million plus Palestinians it displaced. A man working in a government food distribution agency is wrongly suspected of embezzlement. He documents two examples of lives ruined by the partition and the story of a “sonofabithch” camp informer who profited by it, then torches a food warehouse. He believes that if his people are hungry enough they will rise up and rebel, and claims to have done this “because he loves them”. Themes include displacement, corruption, injustice, suffering, violence, betrayal, rebellion.

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The Girls

The Girls: Short story by Joy WilliamsThe evil, narcissistic, thirty-something sisters in this story by Joy Williams act more like petulant children than adults. They have no friends and no interest in boys, have never worked, and don’t intend to. Although concerned about the health of their wealthy parents crumbling in their eyes, they heartlessly manipulate them and delight in humiliating and driving away their houseguests. After revealing a damning family secret at a cocktail party, an intuitive houseguest points out too late that the girls’ behavior is killing their mother. Themes include family dysfunction, arrested development, narcissism, evil, cruelty, death, grief.

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The Cop and the Anthem

The Cop and the Anthem: Short story by O. HenryWritten in 1904, the major theme of this story by O. Henry (the plight of the homeless) is perhaps even more relevant today. A homeless man who lives on the streets in the warmer months tries in vain to commit a petty crime so he can spend the winter in prison. After trying every trick he knows to get arrested, he stops outside a church. The ambience and stirring music being played bring about an epiphany, thoughts of reform … and jail. Other themes include social class, crime and punishment, resilience, poverty mindset vs. ambition and hope.

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Sunbird

Sunbird: Short story by Neil GaimanOnce you get used to the preposterous names and characters, this Neil Gaiman story is a fascinating read. The five members of an exclusive club dedicated to tasting exotic food travel to Suntown in Cairo to capture and eat a rare Sunbird. They kill and cook the bird (which turns out to be a phoenix), and thoroughly enjoy the meal. Unfortunately, for all but one of them, it is their last. Themes include gluttony, exploitation (of vulnerable species), deception, the danger of seeking pleasure from the unknown, transformation and the enduring cycle of life, the supernatural.

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