This story by Arturo Vivante is about a happily married family man with a loving, trusting wife. When his wife dances the Can-Can for one of their children, we can see that he also still finds her attractive. He knows she will not question his going out alone for a long drive, even though this is out of character. He has made plans to meet with another woman. It is clear that he has no real love for her, which leads to a question. Why do many happily married men put their marriage and family life at risk like this? More…
The Story of a Letter
In this semi-autobiographical story by Carlos Bulosan, a letter written in English in need of translation links two themes: 1) The challenges (language barriers, racism, exploitation and mistreatment) faced by illiterate Filipinos who immigrated to America for a better life during the first half of last Century; 2) The harshness and unpredictability, especially for those on the land, of the life they left behind. Sadly, most of their families at home will rarely, if ever, hear from them again. Other themes include family, community, the importance of education, expectations vs. reality, resilience, perseverance. More…
Identities
In this story from W. D. Valgardson, the smell of burning leaves on a Saturday morning evokes pleasant memories for a man of childhood drives in the countryside. With his family otherwise occupied, he decides to leave his up-market neighborhood and re-live the experience. Unfortunately, the open spaces of his youth have been replaced by urban sprawl. Late in the day, he finds himself lost in a seedy, seemingly dangerous neighborhood. A stop to call home and warn his family that he will be late for dinner is the last act in his life. Themes: nostalgia, appearance, prejudice, stereotyping, misjudgement. More…
Double Birthday
The major theme of this story from Willa Cather is daring to be different. The protagonist and his aging uncle have the same birthday. Both have suffered major losses: the protagonist, his share of his father’s fortune, frittered away on travel and entertainment; the uncle, a young musical protégée he undoubtedly loved. They share a house, living in the past among sentimental relics and resisting cultural aspects of “modern” (1920s) America. An unexpected visitor on their mutual birthday signals that things may soon change for the better. Themes include nonconformity, cultural dissent, judgmentalism, the price of “success”, and revitalization. More…
Think of England
In this coming of age story by Peter Ho Davies, a sixteen-year-old Welsh barmaid will always remember D-day. Her section of the pub is full of English soldiers and BBC radio workers who are celebrating and drinking heavily. First, she has to put up with offensive jokes from a BBC comedian about the Welsh, and in particular Welsh women. Later, her secret “sweetheart” (an English soldier she has known for a only week, and with whom she has exchanged her first ‘real’ kisses), tries to rape her. Themes include national pride and identity, xenophobia, sexual assault, redemption. More…