Tam and Cam

Post category:Folktales, Legends & Myths

Tam and Cam: Vietnamese folktale As indicated in our comments on the famous children’s story Cinderella, there are hundreds of folktales around the world that have the similar central plots. This Vietnamese version is longer and continues after the protagonist becomes Queen. The story from here on could only happen in a folktale from a country where people believe that after we die we can be born again in non-human form. The poor girl is killed twice after marrying the king, each time coming back to life in a different form. Fortunately, goodness wins out and the evil stepsister soon finds herself in hot water.

The New Constitution / Naya Qanun

Post category:Short Stories

The New Constitution / Naya Qanun: Short story by Saadat Hasan Manto A message of this story by Saadat Hasan Manto is to make sure you fully understand something you overhear before acting on it. An illiterate tongawala [coachman] learns about the world by eavesdropping on customers. Over several days, he overhears talk of a new “India Act”, which he misinterprets to be a new constitution that will free India from British rule. Having developed a hatred of the British for subjugating and exploiting his country, he is excited by the “news”. Unfortunately, acting on it lands him in jail. Themes include colonialism vs. freedom and self-determination, excitement, hope, disillusionment.

Bartleby the Scrivener: A Tale of Wall Street

Post category:Novelettes

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street: Novelette by Herman Melville Herman Melville’s Bartleby the Scrivener is regarded as a classic of Modern Literature. A major theme is the depression that comes with being alone in the world and lacking a purpose in life. Other themes include exploitation, insensitivity and guilt (the Lawyer), conformity and coping with boring, repetitive work (Turkey and Nipper), alienation, apathy and passive resistance to one’s responsibilities (Bartleby), and loss of hope and the inevitability of death (symbolized by the Dead Letter Office). The Lawyer’s final words, Ah, Bartleby! Ah, humanity!, reflect the irony of Bartleby finding himself in the two worst possible jobs for his disposition.

The Man to Send Rain Clouds

Post category:Short Stories

The Man to Send Rain Clouds: Short story by Leslie Marmon Silko This playful story by Leslie Marmon Silko illustrates how two cultures, one indigenous and very much attached to their land, the other foreign and dominant, coexist. When an aging Pueblo Native American dies tending their sheep, his people plan to give him a traditional tribal burial. They deceive a young Catholic priest, who would have insisted on a Christian ceremony, but later find they need something from him. Themes include death, tradition, adaptability (by the tribe as a means of mitigating culture clash) and flexibility (by the priest as a means of being accepted into the community).

The Call of the Wild

Post category:Novellas

The Call of the Wild: Short story by Jack London Set during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, this story by Jack London chronicles the devolution of a domesticated dog into the leader of a pack of wild wolves. A huge St. Bernard-Scotch Shepherd cross, is dog-napped to meet the demand for sled-dogs. Transported to the Yukon, he soon learns the law of club and fang and the meaning of the maxim survival of the fittest. The story is not for the faint-hearted. True to the times, it includes many examples of human and animal brutality, suffering, folly and death. Themes include greed, survival, violence, mastery, instinct, regression, community, pride, loyalty.

The Laughing Man

Post category:Short Stories

The Laughing Man: Short story by J. D. Salinger This J. D. Salinger story describes the relationship between members of a boy’s club (the Comanches), their youth leader (the Chief), and the imaginary hero of stories told by the Chief (The Laughing Man). One of the major themes is escape from reality through stories. In this context, the Laughing Man symbolizes the imaginary hero in all of us. Another important theme is change. Breaking up with girlfriend Mary results in the Chief “killing off” the Laughing Man, signalling to the boys that childhood pleasures (and life) don’t last forever. Other themes: appearance vs. ability, friendship, death, loss of innocence.

A Defenseless Creature

Post category:Short Stories

A Defenseless Creature: Short story by Anton Chekhov In addition to his tales highlighting serious issues such as poverty, class, death and unfulfilled expectations, Anton Chekhov wrote dozens of comic short stories to support himself through medical school. In this story, a persistent, shrew-like woman wears down a sickly banker. The exasperated man finally pays money the woman claims is owing to her husband out of his own pocket, even though the alleged debt has nothing to do with his bank. Despite the woman repeatedly describing herself as such, readers are left wondering if the harried banker is the titular “defenseless creature”. Themes: bureaucracy, communication, desperation, persistence.

The Boogeyman

Post category:Short Stories

The Boogeyman: Short story by Stephen King This story by Stephen King explores one of the greatest fears of many young children as they go to bed: the fact that some sort of evil creature may be hiding under their bed, behind the curtains, or in their closet. In the story, a man with serious mental problems blames himself for the death of his three children. He thinks a monster from his childhood killed them, and that it is now coming after him. Readers are left to wonder who or what this boogeyman really is. Themes include fear, imagination, paranoia, mental illness, filicide, guilt.

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