In George Saunders’s typical over-the-top style, this story uses dark humor to address themes of bullying and body shaming. Despite the indignation of being stuck in an unrewarding, distasteful job and suffering constant humiliation from colleagues, the 400-pound narrator remains calm and optimistic about the future. Things change when “a lifetime of scorn” boils over and he commits murder. In prison, his hope is replaced by misery. Although most of the story has a satirical tone, it ends on a philosophical note, questioning the existence and fairness of God. Other themes: isolation, sadism, animal cruelty, atheism More…
Category Archives: Short Stories
Her Mother
This story by Anjana Appachana describes an Indian mother’s feelings of anguish, grief and betrayal upon reading the perfunctory first letter home from her younger daughter who has travelled to America to complete a Ph.D. Much of the story involves her thoughts on how best to reply. These range from ranting about personal care and the dangers of American life, providing “chatty” family news and encouraging her to find and marry a suitable Indian man, and confronting her about her abrupt decision to leave in such anger. Themes include tradition vs. westernization, independence, marriage and gender roles, double standards, self-pity. More…
Beggar My Neighbor
In this story by Dan Jacobson, a white South African boy is confronted by the cruel realities of racism when a charitable decision to give food to two black street children gets out of hand. As the children approach him with increasing frequency, his attitude towards them changes from pity and condescension to contempt and hatred. In an epiphany that comes in a dream, he realizes that they hate him just as much as he does them, and simply want to be treated with dignity. Themes include poverty, compassion, vanity, fantasy, social class, racism, humanity. More…
Birthmates
Life for Gish Gen’s Chinese-American protagonist is not looking good. A salesman in a dying industry, he has recently divorced due to different “perspectives” on racism at work and his inability to grieve over his wife’s two miscarriages and a medical termination. Upon arrival at a sales convention, he finds that he has booked into a welfare hotel where playful children assault him the following morning. The kindness of one of its residents and a lost job opportunity cause him to finally face the loss of his wife and “child”. Themes: paranoia, self-esteem, alienation, loss, grief, cultural differences, racism, desperation. More…
The Last Lovely City
The city in this story from Alice Adams is San Francisco. An attractive young woman invites an aging, recently widowed doctor to a party where he encounters people who bring back unpleasant memories from his past. After fantasizing about a potential relationship with the woman, he learns she is an investigative journalist looking for a story. Disenchanted, he decides to move to Mexico to care for his ailing mother and help in two charity clinics he has established there. At least I more or less understand the corruption there, he argues. Themes: love, grief, memories, loneliness, hope, corruption, guilt/shame, selfishness. More…
The Birthmark
In this story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a brilliant scientist takes a break from his work to marry a woman of nearly perfect beauty. Her one “blemish” is a small hand-shaped birthmark on her left cheek. Much of the scientist’s work has involved (often unsuccessfully) trying to manipulate the laws of Nature. As he begins to obsess over the frightful birthmark, his wife agrees to allow him to remove it… even if it costs her life! The story’s message: the folly of pursuing human perfection; no one is flawless. Themes: perfection, obsession, hubris, religion, gender roles, submission/sacrifice, science vs. nature, mortality. More…
Cheap at Half the Price
The questionable message of this story by Jeffrey Archer is expressed in the opening line: Women are naturally superior to men, and Consuela Rosenheim was no exception. The beautiful socialite is nearing the end of the third of the four or five marriages she is planning on to become independently wealthy. After searching for a birthday present, she has her heart set on a million pound diamond-and-ruby necklace. Knowing her husband’s weaknesses, she hatches a plan whereby the deluded man thinks he was clever enough to buy it for half the asking price. Themes include materialism, sexuality, manipulation, deception, infidelity. More…
Looking for a Rain-God
This story by Botswanan writer Bessie Head deals with one of the world’s most terrible crimes. It takes place in Botswana’s “lonely lands” where families usually live a poor but contented life in harmony with nature. Every year, when village headmen proclaim the beginning of the cropping season, farming families relocate from the villages to their ploughing lands. We follow a family who, having endured six years of crippling drought, reach a point in the seventh year where they feel they must make a devastating decision: to all perish from starvation or sacrifice their children to a rain-god. More…
The Paper Menagerie
The central message of this poignant story from Ken Liu is in these lines: You know what the Chinese think is the saddest feeling in the world? It’s for a child to finally grow the desire to take care of his parents, only to realize that they were long gone. An American high schooler rejects his heritage and distances himself from his poorly educated, non-English speaking mother. After her death, he finds something that changes his outlook and brings back the magical world she had created for him as a child. Themes: struggle, cultural assimilation, identity, resentment, motherly love, imagination. More…
Doc’s Story
In this story by John Edgar Wideman, a young man recovering from a break-up with his girlfriend is inspired by a story about “Doc”, a former academic and college basketballer who lost his eyesight. Doc could still shoot baskets from the foul line, and once held his own in a full game. This causes him to wonder whether, if he had told Doc’s story to his former girlfriend (If a blind man could play basketball surely we . . .), he could have saved their relationship. Themes include relationships, storytelling, race, depression, overcoming challenges, inspiration, hope. More…
The Son
In this emotionally charged story by Horacio Quiroga, a thirteen-year-old boy goes hunting in woods near his home. He is well aware of the dangers associated with hunting alone, and competent in the use of a gun. The boy’s father, who is not well and suffers from hallucinations, becomes concerned when he does not return at the agreed time. Fearing the worst, he begins a frantic search, growing increasingly anxious until finding, or thinking he finds, the boy safe and unharmed. Themes include parental love, isolation, nature and survival, trust, anxiety, fear, illusion, death. More…
The Rocking-Horse Winner
This tragic story by D. H. Lawrence is about a boy whose parents seem more interested in their social position than their children. The only adults who have time for the boy are an uncle and the family’s young gardener, both of whom are passionate followers of horseracing. The boy desperately wants his mother’s love and approval. As she is constantly complaining about not having enough money, he comes up with an unusual approach to winning some by betting on the races. Themes include family/parental responsibility, materialism and appearances, greed, selfishness, “luck” vs. hard work. More…
The Magic Shop
This delightful fantasy from H. G. Wells is about ‘magic’ and perception. A father and son enter a strange Magic Shop. As they begin to look around, the shopkeeper appears and entertains them with some ‘magic’. The innocent boy watches in awe, while his skeptical father looks for the sources of trickery. The pair moves further into the store and witness additional, seemingly impossible wonders. The father, realizing that what he sees may be real, becomes increasingly uncomfortable and begins to suspect the presence of unnatural forces. Themes: childhood innocence and wonder, father-son relationships, trickery vs. the supernatural. More…
The Night Face Up
In this story by Julio Cortázar, a man hospitalized after a motorcycle accident drifts in and out between the “present” and a “dream” in which he is a member of an ancient tribe being hunted by Aztec warriors for sacrifice. As he struggles to stay awake in his hospital ward, his dream-self is captured, imprisoned, and carried up the temple steps for execution. At the moment of death, he recalls a dream about riding through an astonishing city on an enormous metal insect that whirred away between his legs. Themes include time and space (parallel worlds), existence, dreams vs. reality. More…
The Sentimentalists
In this story by Morley Callaghan two young men, one a law student, are shopping in a department store when they notice a store detective watching three women at the stocking counter. There was a stout, well-dressed older woman, a lanky schoolgirl, and a demure “girl next door” type. They bet on which one the detective is watching and, after two move away, the lawyer moves in and saves the guilty party. Unfortunately, all he gets for his trouble is a kick in the shins. Themes include petty crime, stereotyping, desperation, hope, insensitivity, betrayal. More…
The Mystery of the Missing Cap
It is evident from Babu Virkishore’s absurd ministerial title that this Manoj Das story is a political satire. The comment about the cap’s disappearance being a deep-rooted conspiracy with possible devastating political effects suggests that it is a “Nehru topi” (pictured above). The main themes, comically highlighted when Jhandoo the monkey tries on the cap and then hands it back to the bemused Minister are: 1) many officials of the day weren’t ready to govern; and 2) the general population was too poorly educated and reverent towards those in power to see this. Other themes: innocence, elitism, hubris, honesty, disillusionment. More…
Gloria’s Saturday
The message of this tragic love story by Mario Benedetti is to treasure the time you have with your loved ones because life can be cut short at any time. The story is told in the form of a narrative written by a husband sitting in an all-night vigil at the bedside of his critically ill wife. Intending to share it with her when she survives, he expresses regret over how they allowed their busy lifestyles to hinder their ability to spend quality time together. Themes include fear, love, mortality, work-life balance, grief, regret. More…
The Book of Sand
Some time ago we featured Jorge Borges’s Library of Babel. This contains an infinite number of books that nobody can understand. In The Book of Sand, a book lover also obtains a book that can’t be understood. It is in a strange language and has an endless number of randomly changing pages. Is there a connection between the two stories? Could this be the “perfect compendium” that will unlock the Library’s secrets? Or is it one of the magical books from the Library’s Crimson Hexagon? Either way, the book lover is so frightened that he hides the book away forever. More…
Suspicion
Although Dorothy Sayers is best known for her mystery stories featuring amateur sleuths Lord Peter Wimsey and Montague Egg, this story features neither. Real estate agent Harold Mummery fears for his ailing wife. Police are hunting for a cook suspected to have poisoned several of her employers. His wife has recently hired a new cook, someone has been tampering with the arsenic-based weed killer in his garden shed, and he is beginning to feel ill. When a chemist identifies arsenic in some hot chocolate the new cook prepared, he rushes home. Themes: fear, suspicion, deception and betrayal, appearance vs. reality. More…
Redemption
The fact that this story mirrors a similar event in author John Gardner’s childhood lends credibility to the feelings and emotions portrayed. When a twelve-year-old boy kills his seven-year-old brother in a horrific farm accident, he and his family are devastated. His father falls apart, womanizing and disappearing for days at a time, while his mother and five-year-old sister grieve privately, putting their faith in God. The boy, knowing the accident was preventable, relives it every day and even gets to the point of considering suicide. Themes: grief, religion, community, guilt, art (in this case music) as a redemptive force. More…
Bears Discover Fire
This story from Terry Bisson includes several important themes. Although bears may be thousands of years behind man in discovering fire, they are portrayed as being well ahead of us in terms of consideration, compassion, sharing and inclusiveness. The major theme is the effect of our modern lifestyle on families. Sixty-one-year-old Bobby does his best for his dying mother who, with only the TV for company at her nursing home, has given up on life. His brother is too busy “ministering” and selling real-estate to make time for her, or even pay attention to the needs of his growing son. More…
By the Waters of Babylon
Although published well before the atomic age, this story from Stephen Benét provides a remarkable description of a post-apocalyptic world devastated by weapons of mass destruction. Survivors lead a primitive existence. Modern religious beliefs have been replaced by reverence for the “gods” who built (and whose spirits still live in) destroyed buildings. Pointedly, elitism, prejudice and warfare still exist. Priests maintain their status by keeping healing and other knowledge to themselves, and there is constant fighting between the protagonist’s Hill People and the supposedly “ignorant” Forest People. Themes: superstition, destiny, search for knowledge, class, prejudice, warfare, danger of modern weaponry. More…
The Man with the Light
In this story by José Eduardo Agualusa, an itinerant Russian has been traveling remote areas of Angola for over forty years, entertaining villagers with a pedal-powered projector and old films. During one of the country’s many civil wars, his Russian heritage brings him to the attention of authorities. From a hiding place, he watches in horror as the soldiers sent to find him savagely beat and rape innocent bystanders. He talks his way out of arrest, but loses his treasured projector. In desperation, he turns to “James Dean” for help. Themes include aging, brutality, fear, abuse of power, despair. More…
The Star
In Arthur C. Clarke’s The Star, a manned spaceship travels to the edge of the galaxy to explore a nebula (cloud of interstellar gas) surrounding a collapsed star. Within the nebula is a burnt out planet that miraculously survived the explosion. On the planet is a huge stone marker left by a highly advanced civilization that did not survive. Under the marker, buried deep inside the planet, is a vault containing the civilization’s secrets. Among these is a disturbing discovery that challenges our traditional concepts of God. Themes: religious faith, science vs. religion, humankind as the center of the universe. More…
The Gift of the Magi
Have you ever thought long and hard about what would be the prefect Christmas gift for someone you love? This story by O. Henry is one of the most famous Christmas stories of all time. It tells how a poor couple each sell their most valuable possession in order to buy a Christmas present that they feel is good enough for the one they love. The irony is that neither can use the precious gift the other has bought them. Themes (see analysis) include love, sacrifice, wisdom, beauty, generosity, and value. More…
The Interlopers
This story by H. H. Munro (aka Saki) has perhaps the shortest surprise ending of all: a single word that comprises the last line of the story. Two families have been feuding for years over the use of a poor piece of forest land. When the heads of the families find themselves trapped under a fallen tree, they realize how silly they have been and promise to be friends for life. Sadly, just as they are looking forward to a more peaceful future, some unexpected visitors spoil it all. Themes: greed, pride, inherited hatred, man vs. nature, social class. More…
The Outcasts of Poker Flat
Bret Harte’s “outcasts” are four “improper persons” (a gambler, a prostitute, a brothel madam, and a drunkard and suspected thief) banished by a vigilante group from a Californian Gold Rush town. When they camp for the night on the way to the next settlement, the drunkard steals their horses. The other three and a young couple journeying the other way find themselves “snowed in” in a secluded mountain cabin. With food and firewood running low, we see another side of the remaining outcasts. Themes: appearances; immorality vs. innocence; goodness; sacrifice; the power of nature; luck, fate and human agency. More…
The Bound Man
This Kafkaesque story by Ilse Aichinger opens with a man waking up to find himself bleeding and bound from head to toe. The ropes are loose enough to allow some movement, but cannot be untied. With difficulty, he manages to stand and “walk” to a nearby village where a circus owner hires him as a performer. He not only becomes famous, but insists on wearing the same bonds night and day for the whole season. In an ambiguous conclusion, an act of compassion ends his career. Themes include insecurity, turning adversity into opportunity, freedom vs. restriction, loneliness, self-discovery, compassion. More…
The Centipede
The major theme of this story by Rony V. Diaz is revenge. A boy who has suffered years of torment from his older sister snaps when she severely beats and injures the eye of his beloved dog. Forgetting she has a weak heart, he plays a cruel, potentially fatal trick on her. The girl’s hatred and victimization of her brother raises the question of whether she, too, is taking revenge (albeit unconsciously) for the death of her mother when giving birth to him. Other themes include dealing with injustice and the need to stop and think before acting in anger. More…
The Tell-Tale Heart
In this Gothic horror story by Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator describes how cleverly he or she has planned and carried out the murder of an old man. The only reason given is fear of what is described as the old man’s ‘vulture eye’. The narrator’s purpose in telling the story is to convince the audience that he or she is not mad. There are a number of ironic aspects to the story, perhaps the greatest being that in trying to prove his or her sanity, the narrator clearly demonstrates the opposite. Themes: mental illness, fear, time, guilt vs. innocence. More…
The Goophered Grapevine
Set shortly after the American Civil War, this story from Charles W. Chesnutt is about a “Northerner” with an interest in grape cultivation who moves to the South for his wife’s health. While inspecting a derelict vineyard, they meet a “colored man” who tells how the previous owner had a sorceress put a spell (goopher) on the grapes to stop them being stolen. He then describes the sad fate of a newly acquired slave who, unaware of the spell, “sampled” the grapes. Themes: racism and slavery, the supernatural, greed, exploitation, dishonesty, trickery, karma. More…
Long Distance
In this story by Jane Smiley, an early middle-aged bachelor learns an important lesson about himself. The story begins with his Japanese girlfriend calling off their long-distance relationship due to the impending death of her father. Although she is distraught, he is relieved because he did not think he could meet her expectations. After drinking too much at a family Christmas gathering, he comes to realize that the self-centered affair has probably ruined the poor woman’s chances of a happy life. Themes include physical and emotional distance, family, marriage, responsibility, identity, loneliness and isolation, selfishness, guilt. More…
Repent, Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman
This story by Harlan Ellison takes a satirical look at the way people can become slaves to time. In a future dystopian world, everyone and everything must be on time. The Master Timekeeper (aka the Ticktockman) is responsible for policing this. He has a special power: if someone is late to work or causes something to be delayed, that person has the lost time deducted from their lifespan. Only one man stands against him: a disruptive rebel who calls himself the Harlequin. Themes include totalitarianism, obsession with timeliness and productivity, misused technology, social regimentation, individualism, the futility of individual revolt. More…
Champoon
This tragic story by Dhep Mahapaoraya is set in pre-World War 2 Central Thailand. A mentally disturbed young Thai man relates how, after he and the daughter of a fiercely protective Chinese towkay fell deeply in love, the girl was severely beaten, locked away by day, and chained at night. The determined girl escaped, but met a grisly end in the jaws of a crocodile after finding him taking solace with a young prostitute. He is haunted by the thought that her death may not have been accidental. Themes include love, cruelty, betrayal, corruption, prostitution, excess (alcohol, gambling, women). More…
The Toll-House
Today we have another classic horror story from W. W. Jacobs. Four young travelers are drinking (tea of all things!) at an Inn. They are discussing the supernatural, and it soon becomes clear that three are believers to varying degrees and one is a total skeptic. One of them tells a story about a nearby haunted house that takes a “toll” of at least one life from every family or group that lives there—however short the time. Foolishly, they decide to put the story to the test. Themes: bravado, fear, the supernatural. More…
Dusk
James Salter’s Dusk is about the loneliness of reaching middle age and finding yourself alone in the world. Mrs Chandler is a cultured woman who once led an active social life. The narrator describes her as a fine woman whom no one now wanted. Her only son is dead, her other children have moved on, her husband has left her, and her lover is reuniting with his wife. It is hunting season, and she identifies with the wild geese being shot for sport: The rain was coming down, the sea was crashing, a comrade lay dead in the whirling darkness. More…
Women in Their Beds
Gina Berriault’s protagonist is a struggling young actress who has just begun a day job as a social worker in the women’s ward of a city hospital. With no qualifications or experience, she finds it hard to maintain clinical detachment and begins to identify with the suffering, often troubled women in the ward. She reflects on turning points in her own life, and concludes that women are shaped by the beds (a metaphor for common life experiences) they have chosen, or someone else has chosen for them, to lie in. Themes: empathy, choice vs. superstition/destiny, identity, aloneness, connection. More…
The Elephant Vanishes
The major theme of this surreal mystery by Haruki Murakami is how commercialism and modernization have upset Japan’s traditional social order. Other themes include unity, perception, disillusionment, alienation, paralysis, isolation and connection. An aging elephant and keeper symbolize the old ways, destined to vanish when displaced by urban development. The city’s absurd responses to the disappearance signify the uneasiness and confusion brought about by the changes. The narrator, a loner used to unity and balance in his life, becomes so disoriented by what he saw on the night of the disappearance that he is unable to make important decisions. More…
The Skater
In this story by Joy Williams, parents (Tom and Annie) take their teenage daughter Molly on an awkward trip from California to New England to look at boarding schools. Sending Molly to school across the country is ostensibly so that the distance will help her deal with the recent death of her older sister Martha. Molly thinks her parents have an ulterior motive… to help them cope more easily with their own grief. Although Molly rejects all the schools, the trip helps all three on their road to recovery. Themes include family, death, grief, acceptance. More…
The Red Convertible
The titular car in this confronting coming of age story by Louise Erdrich symbolizes freedom and the youthful bonding of Native-American half-brothers Lyman and Henry. Lyman is good with money and responsible. Henry is older, stronger, and more impulsive. On buying the car, they take a summer road-trip through the wilds of Montana before picking up a hitchhiker and driving her all the way home to Alaska. Upon their return, Henry is drafted and sent to Vietnam. He comes back a changed man, suffering a downward spiral of depression and despair. Themes: brotherhood, youth, freedom, PTSD, alienation, suicide, loss. More…
The Balek Scales
This story from Heinrich Böll is a social commentary about a rich family’s exploitation of farm workers. This occurs on three levels, characterized by different forms of “scales”: 1) systematic cheating, involving an incorrectly balanced set of weighing scales; 2) legal injustice, where the scales of justice are weighted firmly in favor of the landowners; and 3) social injustice, where the imbalance of power results in poor pay, long hours, and dangerous working conditions. The workers are incensed by the cheating, but accept the other injustices. Other themes: the whistle-blowing family’s courage and pride, church and wider community apathy. More…
Squeaker’s Mate
Barbara Baynton’s Squeaker’s Mate is an Australian bush story in which gender stereotypes are reversed and the man is found wanting when disaster strikes. The story raises some interesting issues. Why would a strong, capable woman like Mary choose and put up with a lazy, simple-minded weakling like Squeaker for a “mate”. Could it be that he was her only option? Is Baynton suggesting that other men were intimidated by Mary’s independence and masculinity, or possibly even hinting at sexuality issues that were taboo at the time? Squeaker may not be solely to blame for the outcome. More…
The Sun, the Moon, the Stars
This story by Junot Díaz examines transnational relationships between young Hispanic Americans. It focuses on the doomed love affair between a Dominican-American man and his long-suffering Cuban girlfriend and, in doing so, the pressures they face from family and friends. It contrasts the woman’s desire for true love and commitment with the man’s unsuccessful attempts to shake off the stereotype of Latino machismo. The man maintains he is not a bad guy, but doesn’t seem to understand how to treat a woman with consideration and respect. Themes include responsibility in relationships, infidelity, self-deception, national pride, socioeconomic differences. More…
Ahoy, Sailor Boy!
This story by A. E. Coppard takes a light-hearted look at death and what comes after. Following a discussion in an English pub about death and divine retribution, an off-duty sailor unsuccessfully tries to solicit an attractive ghost in a park. The woman’s sin was vanity, as represented by a huge collection of expensive clothing. In order to obtain redemption, she must re-wear and discard every item in the collection. She is wearing the last outfit, and the sailor eagerly watches as she undresses for the last time. Themes include death and the afterlife, vanity, sexuality, kindness, redemption, the supernatural. More…
The Refugee
This story by K. A. Abbas deals with the social upheaval caused by the 1947 Partition of India. Told from the perspective of an elderly Sikh woman, it compares the community spirit and religious tolerance that existed before Partition with the hatred, bloodshed and displacement of Sikh and Hindu families that occurred afterwards. The compassionate, once wealthy protagonist, who lost everything when forced to flee Rawalpindi, demonstrates neither bitterness nor self-pity. However, she still sheds a tear for the “soft” memories like ripe apricots and fragrant baggoogoshas… Themes include brotherhood and inclusiveness vs. religious hostility, alienation, suffering, identity, resilience. More…
Miss Brill
Katherine Mansfield’s Miss Brill is a lonely middle-aged woman for whom the highlight of the week is a Sunday visit to a city park. She occupies herself by eavesdropping on strangers who share her “special” bench, listening to the brass band, and people watching. On this day, she is wearing a favorite fur stole (scarf) and imagines that the park is a huge theatre performance in which she is a central character. The dream is shattered and her day ruined when she overhears some unkind words from her imaginary heroes. Themes: reclusiveness, loneliness, habit, aging, fantasy vs. reality, disillusionment, retreat. More…
A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain
In this story by Robert Olen Butler, an aging Vietnamese-American immigrant prepares for death. As he bids farewell to his family, the restless ghost of his once good friend, Ho Chi Minh, visits him over several nights, triggering memories of the past. He is proud of his daughter, who maintains Vietnamese traditions, but not so his son-in-law and grandson, who have been involved in a political murder. All he wants now is to be reunited with his wife and other dead loved-ones in the “village square”. Themes include aging and death, memories, family, friendship, tradition, politics and war. More…
A Painful Case
The title of this James Joyce story could refer to both the protagonist and the poor woman he drove to alcoholism and possible suicide. James Duffy is a loner who lives an orderly, spartan life. He meets and becomes close friends with the neglected wife of a sea captain. When she hints at feelings stronger than friendship, he immediately terminates the relationship. This and the cryptic sentence he wrote afterwards about such a friendship being impossible because there must be sexual intercourse suggest repressed sexuality issues. Having lost this one chance at happiness, he regretfully resumes his former solitary life. More…
The Daffodil Sky
In this story by H. E. Bates, a man sent to prison for killing a love rival in a jealous rage returns to the scene of the crime. His intent is to confront the woman they were fighting over, who was once his fiancé. As he knocks on her door he has a premonition that if she opened the door he might not be able to restrain himself but would rush straight at her and kill her. Fortunately for him, the person who opens it is a pleasant surprise. Themes: passion, jealousy and rage, choices and consequences, alienation and loneliness. More…
Minutes of Glory
This Ngugi Wa Thiong’o story highlights the human cost of progress in developing countries such as post-independence Kenya. Its main themes are exploitation, class differences, identity, loneliness and appearances. A young woman leaves her village in search of a better life in the city. She is poorly educated, and ends up working as a hostess in beer bars. Unhappy with the life, the money she makes and her appearance, she dreams of something better. Cut off from her family and alone in the world, she steals money from a customer and uses it to experience a few minutes of glory. More…