Featured Stories

How I Contemplated the World from the Detroit House of Correction and Began My Life Over Again

How I Contemplated the World from the Detroit House of Correction and Began My Life Over Again: Short story by Joyce Carol OatesThe experimental style of this Joyce Carol Oates story takes a little getting used to. In the form of a disorganized set of notes for an English writing assignment, a sixteen-year-old girl reviews the events that landed her in government care. Starved of affection by her wealthy parents, her acts of rebellion escalate from shoplifting to running away from home and falling under the spell of a prostitute and her Svengali-like, drug-addicted pimp. Sadly, the House of Correction isn’t the sanctuary she thought it would be. Themes parental neglect, rebellion, human trafficking, drug use, class and racial conflict.

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Diary of a Madman

Diary of a Madman: Short story by Lu Xun.Lu Xun‘s diarist suffers from paranoia, stemming from strange looks he thinks he is getting from fellow villagers. On learning of an act of ritual cannibalism in a neighboring village, he concludes that those around him, including his own brother, are planning to make a meal of him. The story has several interpretations. The most common is that it satirizes the outdated Confucian traditions of Chinese feudal society. An opposing view is that it cautions the May Fourth period’s New Culture Movement against indiscriminately overturning (eating) all past traditions. Themes: madness, cannibalism, tradition, betrayal.

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Black Boy

Black Boy: Short story by Kay BoyleIn this story by Kay Boyle, a ten- twelve-year-old girl living with her grandfather in a seaside city befriends an African-American “boy” who pushes rolling chairs by day and appears to sleep under the boardwalk at night. When the girl’s grandfather discovers them talking, he warns her off spending time with the boy because he might do you some kind of harm. The girl’s hobby is horse riding along the sand. When the boy helps her home after a fall, he doesn’t get the thanks he deserves. Themes: childhood innocence, friendship, prejudice and racism, dreams and imagination.

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The Faith Cure Man

The Faith Cure Man: Short story by Paul DunbarIn this story from Paul Dunbar, a faith healer provides the last hope for a desperate woman who has been told that medical science can do nothing more for her seriously ill daughter. Despite the narrator’s skepticism, the tragic ending neither proves nor disproves the validity of faith healing. Although the mother certainly has the “faith”, the poor child is too young and/or sick to understand or even care about what is happening around her. The major theme of the story is that distraught people are easy prey to those offering false hope. Other themes: love, desperation, hope, faith, death.

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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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A Child’s Dream of a Star

A Child's Dream of a Star: Short story by Charles DickensA major theme of this heart-warming 19th Century children’s story from Charles Dickens is what comes after death. Although children today are more likely to have been exposed to the concept of the hereafter than their 1871 counterparts, the story is still used as a reading text in many grade schools. In addition to being a beautifully written piece of prose, it contains several other important themes. These include: 1) the wonder and interdependence of the natural world; 2) brother & sisterly love and devotion; 3) the importance of family; and 4) how life can sometimes seem unfair.

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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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The Fat Girl

The Fat Girl: Short story by Andre DubusThis story from Andre Dubus highlights the psychological damage that can arise when young people are shamed for not fitting community or cultural norms. A mother’s efforts to control her daughter’s diet results in a serious eating disorder. Later, a weight-loss program initiated by a well-meaning college roommate leads to a confused self-image, an unfulfilling, shallow marriage and, when she becomes pregnant, recurrence of the eating disorder. Fortunately, the birth of a son brings about an epiphany through which she is finally able to be comfortable with who she is. Themes: conformity, identity, food and dieting, body shaming, friendship, transformation.

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