Author Ernest Hemingway goes to great lengths to set up an ambiguous ending to this story about a rich American couple’s fateful big game hunting safari in Africa. No longer (and perhaps never) in love, the couple barely tolerate each other. She can’t afford to divorce him, and he is unlikely to find a more attractive trophy wife. Readers are left to consider whether Francis’s death was murder or an unfortunate accident. What do you think? The major themes are clearly courage and masculinity. Other themes: fear; shame; violence; marriage breakdown; beauty & aging; adultery; misogyny & female stereotyping. More…
The Gold-legged Frog
In this touching story by Lao Khamhom, a Thai farmer must leave his dying son in the hands of faith-healers and herbalists to grovel in front of local officials for a 200 baht government handout. He gets the money but, contrary to what other villagers say, it’s not his lucky day. Major themes are the harshness of nature on farming communities, and the abuse of power by the Thai authorities of the day (the late 1950s) in dealing with them. Other themes include family, poverty, suffering, helplessness, survival, superstition, social class, and “luck”. More…
The Autopsy (Dissection)
Only an accomplished poet like Georg Heym could tastefully write such an absorbing vignette about the dissection of a human body. This early example of expressionist literature (written a year before Kafka’s The Judgement) describes the procedure in the form of a prose poem. Extensive use of literary devices softens the gore and lends a surreal quality to the story. The backstory of love and beauty humanizes the dead man, making the juxtaposition in the final sentence (the dead man quivered in happiness … while the … doctors broke open the bones of his temple) seem all the more powerful. More…
Silver Water
Amy Bloom’s deeply moving Silver Water examines an often-overlooked aspect of mental illness: its impact on the sufferer’s family. Throughout the story, the parents (Galen and David) and their two “warrior queen” daughters struggle to navigate their way through inadequate medical insurance and mental illness support systems. In the process, they demonstrate what family love is all about. There is considerable irony in the fact that David (a psychiatrist!) not only failed to diagnose his daughter’s condition, but also has the most difficulty coping with her at home. Themes: mental illness, family love, death as a relief. More…
The Year of Spaghetti
This story by Haruki Murakami describes how a reclusive man made 1971 his “year of Spaghetti”. After buying the necessary equipment and ingredients, he set out to cook spaghetti every day of the year. He cooked spaghetti to live and lived to cook spaghetti, comparing it to an act of revenge against his fears and feelings of meaningless isolation. Although he always eats alone, he often imagines someone standing outside about to visit. When his peace is shattered by a desperate phone call from an ex-friend’s ex-girlfriend, he declines to get involved. Themes include loneliness, self-alienation, obsession, futility. More…