The House on Mango Street / Those Who Don’t / Alicia and I Talking…

Post category:Quick Reads

The House on Mango Street: Short stories by Sandra Cisneros Today we have three short vignettes from Sandra Cisneros’s House on Mango Street. Each deals with an aspect of “place”. The protagonist’s Mexican-American family moves to a new neighborhood. Although far from perfect, their small house is special because they own it. It lies in a Hispanic part of town that most outsiders consider dangerous. However, the only time they feel scared is if they drive through “another color’s” neighborhood. A year later, the protagonist reflects on why the house (of which she is ashamed) doesn’t yet feel like home. Themes: childhood, family, shame, belonging, house vs. home.

The Things They Carried

Post category:Short Stories

The Things They Carried: Short story by Tim O'Brien The strength of this Vietnam War memoir by Tim O’Brien is the matter-of-fact way the life of the soldiers (“grunts”) is portrayed. Although the military and survival equipment carried by the men is listed, the major theme of the story is the emotional burdens they carried – both those the men brought to the war, and those they took on during its course. First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross learns an important lesson: in order to do your duty and survive the war, you need to find a way to let go of these. Other themes: war, love, individual and collective responsibility.

A Brief Moment in the Life of Angus Bethune

Post category:Young Adult Stories

A Brief Moment in the Life of Angus Bethune: Short story by Chris Crutcher Angus, Chris Crutcher’s self-proclaimed fat kid with perverted parents, suffers major self-image problems. Constantly ridiculed for his size and unusual family, he is nevertheless surprisingly agile and a defensive force to be reckoned with on the school football team. A prank sees him voted the school Senior Winter Ball King. His “Queen” is the long-term girl of his dreams, who he has always considered out of his league. She arrives with one of the most popular boys at school but, after sharing a secret with Angus, they connect and leave together. Themes: body shaming, prejudice, bullying, self-image, courage, acceptance, homosexuality.

The Perfect Match

Post category:Short Stories

The Perfect Match: Short story by Ken Liu In this dystopian story by Ken Liu, a powerful cyber system gathers information on the habits, desires and preferences of almost everyone in the world. Through its motherly virtual assistant “Tilly” (Hey Google!), it uses this information to control unfavourable governments and manipulate user’s lives, including autosuggesting products from advertising partners. A member of a rebellious hacking group and disillusioned lawyer caught trying to take down the system are made an offer they cannot refuse. Themes include corporate greed vs. “benevolence”, the dangers of overreliance on AI (blind acceptance and loss of humanity), manipulation and control, rebellion.

Anandi

Post category:Short Stories

Anandi: Short story by Ghulam Abbas This story by Ghulam Abbas illustrates how the “world’s oldest profession” can assist in regional growth. Concerned about the appearance of prostitutes plying their trade around the town bazzar, the authorities of a Pakistani city banish them to a bare patch of land twelve miles out of town. A small marketplace develops around them, and over the years the outpost grows into a thriving new city of 250,000 people. Concerned about the appearance of prostitutes, the new city’s authorities banish them to a bare patch of land twenty-four miles out of town… Themes include politics, prostitution, persecution, enterprise, urban development.

Why Don’t You Dance?

Post category:Short Stories

Why Don't You Dance?: Short story by Raymond Carver This minimalist story from Raymond Carver captures a brief encounter between a middle-aged man holding a yard sale and a young couple interested in buying furniture. We learn very little about the man other than that he was once in a relationship, is selling almost everything he owns, and probably drinks too much. The man offers the couple whiskey, puts on some music, and suggests that they dance. Carver leaves it to the reader to interpret what happens next. All we know is that the girl is troubled by it for weeks. Possible themes: alcoholism, loneliness, despair, compassion, connection, confusion.

The Romance of a Busy Broker

Post category:Quick Reads

Romance of a Busy Broker: Short story by O. Henry This humorous but unlikely story by O. Henry is set in the office of Harvey Maxwell, a busy New York stockbroker, over the space of a single morning. When Harvey sits down at his desk, it is as if he changes from a man into a machine. He puts everything else out of his mind. It is a bad day on the stock market and, when things get quieter at lunchtime, he realizes that he has forgotten something more important than making money. Themes include the pressure of ‘modern’ business, love, preoccupation, workplace conflict, gender roles.

Someone to Talk To

Post category:Novelettes

Someone to Talk To: Short story by Deborah Eisenberg The major theme of this story by Deborah Eisenberg is the need to be heard. A once up-and-coming concert pianist struggles to deal with a stalled career and failed relationship. Potential salvation arrives with an invitation to perform in an unnamed Latin American Country. Patronizing treatment by the concert’s upper-class organizers, a walk through poorer neighborhoods, and the inane behavior of an English radio journalist, emphasize the importance for people of all persuasions to not only speak out, but also be heard and understood. Other themes: loneliness, alienation, elitism, class, poverty, oppression, indifference to the suffering of others.

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