Harrison Bergeron

Harrison Bergeron: Sort story by Kurt VonnegutThis story by science-fiction writer Kurt Vonnegut is about a future world in which the government tries to make everyone equal. The strong must carry heavy weights, the beautiful must wear masks, and the clever are subjected to distracting sounds to stop them thinking clearly. As is usual in totalitarian worlds, those in power are excused from all this… especially the Handicapper General and her “H-G” men. A powerful, gifted fourteen-year-old boy tries to change things as his parents watch on in confusion. Themes: control (forced conformity through oppression and violence), identity (equality vs. individuality), rebellion, media power.

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Shooting an Elephant

Shooting an Elephant: Short story by George OrwellThis story by Eric Arthur Blair (aka George Orwell) is a narrative essay in which the thesis is the wrongs of British Imperialism. A young officer in the British Colonial Police in the early 1920’s describes an experience with an elephant that had killed a villager. He tells how he felt pressured into shooting the animal, even though he knew this to be unnecessary. His fellow Europeans had mixed opinions but fortunately, none of them guessed the real reason for the shooting. Themes include culture clash, prejudice, the need to maintain authority, and moral conscience vs. pride/”face”.

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The Sparrows

The Sparrows: Short story by K. A. AbbasIn this story by K. A. Abbas, an Indian man embittered by being forced to follow tradition and enter into a loveless marriage spends thirty years taking revenge on his family and society. He savagely beats his wife and sons, badly mistreats his farm animals, and is abusive to fellow villagers. As the story begins, his wife has left and he is alone in the world. In his misery, he finds solace and redemption through a family of sparrows nesting in the thatched roof of his hut. Themes include tradition, forbidden love, bitterness, revenge, cruelty, alienation and loneliness, connection, redemption.

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A January Night / Poos Ki Raat

A January Night / Poos Ki Raat: Short story by PremchandThis story by Premchand highlights the plight of tenant farmers in pre-Independence India. In the Hindu calendar, the month of Poos (mid-December to mid-January) marks the beginning of winter. A farmer, forced to pay his debts with money he had saved to buy a blanket, watches over his crops one night in freezing temperatures. With his loyal dog beside him, he manages to survive the night. Unfortunately, his crops do not. His wife is devastated, but he is happy. Themes include the powerlessness and exploitation of tenant farmers, poverty, struggle, the harshness of nature, resilience.

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Greatness Strikes Where It Pleases

Greatness Strikes Where It Pleases: Short story by Lars GustafssonThis touching story by Lars Gustafsson explores the life of a severely retarded man who was institutionalized from age seven. Although it mentions the obvious issues of social isolation, loneliness, and ill-treatment, these are not the focus of the story. Rather, it is a celebration of how, cut off from society and without love or human companionship, he uses childhood memories to connect to the world through an imaginary private universe in which, as the creator, he holds a place of greatness. Themes include social isolation and loneliness, powerlessness, the importance of language, memories, imagination, connection.

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The Wife’s Story

The Wife's Story: Short story by Ursula Le GuinIn addition to its themes of love, trust, family and perception, this Ursula Le Guin story carries two important messages. The first is that we are often so blinded by our love for someone that we fail to notice subtle hints that may indicate flaws or emerging problems in their character. The second is that there are always two sides to every interaction between sentient beings. To many humans, wolves are wild, dangerous predators to be shot on sight. To wolves, man is a feared aggressor who all too often attacks and kills them for living as nature intended.

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Footnote to Youth

Footnote to Youth: Short story by José García VillaThis story by José García Villa provides a stark warning about the consequences of marrying too young. A seventeen-year-old Filipino boy from a poor farming family insists on marrying his girlfriend. Whatever his reason (love, tradition, desire for independence), neither is happy in the marriage. Amid the daily grind of farm life and the responsibilities of raising a family, both experience disillusionment and regret. Sadly, the cycle begins again when their oldest son turns eighteen. Themes include immaturity, impulsiveness, the romance vs. reality of marriage, lack of fulfilment, disillusionment, regret, the cyclical nature of life.

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Yellow Moepels

Yellow Moepels: Short story by Herman BosmanIn this story by Herman Bosman, a young a young farmer riding off to fight the British during the short First Boer War promises the girl he is engaged to that he will be home when the moepel fruit are ripe (yellow). The girl visits a native witch-doctor who tells her the same thing. We learned earlier in the story that witch-doctors can only tell you the things that don’t matter in your life. There is something more important in the girl’s future that the witch-doctor neglected to divulge. Themes: love, superstition, war, “bravery”, memory, racism.

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