Bullet in the Brain

Bullet in the Brain: Short story by Tobias WolffThis Tobias Wolff story features a protagonist who is so unlikable that it seems a relief when a bank robber silences him. Sarcastic to the point of being obnoxious, Anders provides some humorous moments (Love the comment about The Killers!) before getting the richly deserved Bullet in the Brain. Unlike Bierce’s Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, where the protagonist enjoys an uplifting moment-of-death experience, Anders re-lives a childhood baseball game. The highlights of his life were the simple pleasures of youth (such as enjoying the musical quality of a strange accent), before losing his innocence to conceit, disillusionment and cynicism.

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The Man Who Loved Flowers

The Man Who Loved Flowers: Short story by Stephen KingIn this story from Stephen King, people are cheered by the sight of a well-dressed young man walking down a New York City street one spring evening. He has the appearance of a man in love, which is confirmed when he buys a bouquet of flowers for his girlfriend Norma. The twist comes when he hands the flowers to a young woman and savagely beats her to death when she says her name is not Norma. Norma is long dead, but the obsessed former admirer is still looking for her. Themes include appearance vs. reality, love, obsession, denial, madness, murder.

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Midsummer

Midsummer: Short story by Manuel E. ArguillaThis story by Manuel E. Arguilla describes an innocent but sexually charged encounter between a Filipino man and woman on a hot midsummer day. The man, who is driving a bullock cart along an isolated stretch of road, notices a young, surprisingly sweet and fresh woman on her way to collect water. He stops and follows her up a dry gorge to a well, where he watches her draw water. After she leaves and later returns for more water, they strike up a conversation. Themes include sexuality, physical attraction, shyness and respect.

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The Tractor and the Corn Goddess

The Tractor and the Corn Goddess: Short story by Mulk Raj AnandRenowned Indian writer Mulk Raj Anand was well known for his socialist views. These come to the fore in this tongue-in cheek story about a landowner’s progressive son who returns from overseas with such revolutionary ideas as turning his farm into a villager-owned co-operative and importing a tractor to improve the lives of workers. The focus of the story is the tractor, and the landowner’s ingenious method of overcoming the villagers’ fears and indignation associated with the tractor’s “rape” of their Corn Goddess. Themes: social conscience, change, religious and cultural differences, suspicion, pride.

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The Princess of Nebraska

The Princess of Nebraska: Short story by Yiyun LiIn this story by Yiyun Li, a pregnant Chinese graduate student has traveled from Nebraska to Chicago for an abortion. The father, a former “dan” actor, is still in China and not returning messages. Accompanying her is a Chinese activist, who was the dan actor’s boyfriend before fleeing the country. Both are still in love with the actor, and the activist would prefer she keep the baby to lure him to America. In the closing paragraph, her resolve appears to weaken as the baby begins to move. Themes include repression vs. freedom, loneliness, sexuality, identity, choice vs. consequences.

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Poovan Pazham

Poovan Pazham Short story by Vaikam Muhammad BasheerSometimes famous stories of the past, like this one by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, solve problems in ways that would not be acceptable today. A mismatched couple (an uneducated “town rowdy” and university-educated, “fashionable lady”) begin their marriage at odds with one another. Frustrated by trying to change her husband into her idea of a gentleman, the haughty wife is constantly nagging and ill-tempered. The man calmly puts up with this until a quest to find poovan pazham (dessert bananas) proves too much. Themes include non-traditional marriage, social expectations vs. personal freedom, marital quest, gratitude, “education”, guilt, love, nostalgia.

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How Muster-Master Stoneman Earned his Breakfast

How Muster-Master Stoneman Earned his Breakfast: Short story by Price Warung (aka William Astley)This story by Price Warung (aka William Astley) is one of a series dealing with Australia’s early days as a penal colony. Set in the late 1830s, its major theme is the cruel and inhuman treatment of convicts who challenged the system. The story is critical of both the system itself, which in many cases turned petty thieves into hardened criminals, and the brutality of the officers who administered it. A feature of the story is Warung’s extensive use of satire (from the title to terms like “the mild discipline” (of) “a genial and loving motherland”) in highlighting these points.

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The Flight

The Flight: Short story by Kamala DasThere are two “flights” in this story by Kamala Das. The first occurs after a successful sculptor finds city living and her city models devoid of inspiration. Once dependent on her husband, who is now disabled and dependent on her, she has a new sense of control over her life. They move to a dream house by the sea where, re-inspired, she becomes infatuated with a seventeen-year-old nude model. She once again “takes flight” upon finding her husband having sex with the girl, this time into the sea. Themes include marriage, lust, gender roles, control, art, betrayal.

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