Set during World War 1, the major theme of his story by Ernest Hemingway is courage: courage to face an enemy in war, and courage to try to rebuild one’s life after being badly injured or suffering a major setback. A wounded American, thought to be Hemingway’s alter ego Nick Adams, visits a Milan hospital every day for exercises to rehabilitate a wounded knee. He shares his fears about returning to the front, and his relationship and experiences with five Italian soldiers undergoing treatment. Other themes: dealing with disability and loss, fear of death, camaraderie, dignity vs. bravado, alienation, loneliness. More…
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
The major themes of this famous children’s story from Rudyard Kipling’s Second Jungle Book are duty, loyalty and courage. When viewed from a Western perspective, the story’s motif is the triumph of good over evil. However, as the cobra is a revered Hindu religious symbol, the plot can also be interpreted as an allegory of colonial conquest: the victory of “benevolent” British imperialists (Teddy and his family) and the Indians who support them (Rikki-tikki) over those resisting domination and change (Nag and Nagaina). Other themes: family, the balance of nature, progress and peace under British colonialism.
Noise Level
The major theme of this Science Fiction mystery by Raymond F. Jones is unlocking the hidden potential of the human mind. A government research laboratory gathers America’s leading scientists to replicate an “antigravity belt” that seemingly defies the fundamental laws of physics. The secretive young inventor died in an accident demonstrating the belt. He left no notes, and the only prototype was destroyed in the crash. To complicate matters his areas of research included not only the sciences, but also the occult with a special interest in levitation. Other themes: scientific dogmatism vs. open-mindedness, the scientific method, deception. More…
The Argentine Ant
This story from Italo Calvino starts off aslike a horror story. A young couple with a baby move to a peaceful seaside village looking for work, only to discover that the whole place is crawling with ants. After they find the baby covered in ants and their food destroyed, Calvino takes a playful turn. He goes on to describe the sometimes farcical ways villagers try to exterminate and/or pretend they are not affected by the invaders, and the couple’s embarrassing confrontation with the reportedly self-serving government “Ant Man”. Themes: co-existing with nature, powerlessness, futility, tolerance/accepting the inevitable, mob hysteria. More…
The Garden Party
Because of the complex issues raised, this is one of Katherine Mansfield’s most highly acclaimed stories. A wealthy family enjoy an ostentatious garden party in the spacious grounds of their mansion, fully aware that the father of a poverty-stricken family living within hearing distance died in an accident earlier the same day. Only one family member (a teen-aged girl) is sensitive to the poor family’s plight. She visits the house to offer condolences, and experiences an epiphany when unexpectedly ushered in to view the body. Themes include social class (class-consciousness, pretention, insensitivity towards others), poverty, innocence, humanity, coming of age. More…