Featured Stories

A Scandal in Bohemia

A Scandal in Bohemia: Short story by Arthur Conan DoyleThis is the first of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes short stories. The hereditary King of Bohemia hires Holmes to retrieve (steal!) photographic evidence of a scandalous affair. Uncharacteristically, the great detective underestimates the jilted woman and is unable to complete the assignment. Rather than displaying frustration or anger, Holmes is smitten… not with love, but with admiration for her intellect. Themes: philandering, class, sexism, deception, underestimating one’s foe, respect. Some say that Holmes’s esteem for Adler suggests a feminist theme. However, as Watson says, she is the woman; the only one he ever regards so highly.

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The Lottery

The Lottery: Short story by Marjorie BarnardThis story by Marjorie Barnard is set in 1930s Sydney. On the protagonist’s way home from work, friends draw his attention to a newspaper report that his wife has won first prize in a lottery. His initial reaction is to wonder “Why didn’t she contact him at work? and Where did she get the money? He later reflects on how great his wife and married life are, albeit in terms of gender norms of the day. When he gets home, his wife’s reaction to the win is not what he had expected. Themes include patriarchy, gender roles, complacency, alienation, rebellion.

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The Diamond Mine

The Diamond Mine: Short story by Willa CatherThe Diamond Mine in this story by Willa Cather is an internationally renowned opera singer. The story highlights the emotional pressure associated with pursuing art for fame and fortune, rather than for art’s sake alone. The diva derives pleasure from “giving” to her husbands and extended family, most of whom ruthlessly exploit the poor woman. Although happy to bask in her fame, her vitality and success inspires envy and hatred among them. Their indolence and greed leaves her mined out, both financially and emotionally. Themes: the artist as a celebrity, vitality, envy, greed, exploitation, betrayal.

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Dominoes

Dominoes: Short story by Jack AgüerosJack Agüeros cleverly uses a game of dominoes to illustrate two common themes affecting Puerto Rican immigrants living in the United States: fate vs. free will, and the Latin American concept of machismo. Fate is mirrored by the game and its outcome. Is it over as soon as you get your hand, as Tito says, or a game of skill where you can influence the result? Machismo (being seen as a man among men) introduces several sub-themes: pride, patronization of women, competitiveness, protection of honor, success with women, insecurity, and the ever-present prospect of violence.

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The Willow Walk

The Willow Walk: Short story by Sinclair LewisIn this story by Sinclair Lewis, twins Jasper and John Holt couldn’t be more different: Jasper, a well-dressed, respectable bank teller and admired member of a community theatre group; John, a disheveled, reclusive religious fanatic and admired member of an obscure religious cult. Yet they are the same person, a skilled actor carrying out an elaborate bank heist. The robbery goes off perfectly… “Jasper” mysteriously disappears, and John, who no one suspects, has the money. All goes well until John’s conscience causes him to descend into madness. Themes include crime, dissimulation, social class, religious zealotry, guilt, madness, atonement, despair.

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The Balloon

The Balloon: Short story by Donald BarthelmeA huge balloon appears unexpectedly one night, covering 20 city blocks of central Manhattan. Nobody knows why it is there, triggering varying initial responses. After a short time, people begin to accept the balloon simply because it exists. They no longer need to know why. Like the balloon, this story by Donald Barthelme may appear confusing at first because it appears to have no message or theme. Barthelme is satirizing our need to know “why” (find a purpose or meaning) before we can appreciate a creative expression… whether it be a balloon, a work of art, or a story.

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Girls at Play

Girls at Play: Short story by Celeste NgIn this confronting coming of age story by Celeste Ng three rebellious junior high school girls, ostracized by their peers because they come from the poor part of town, respond by playing a sex game with boys every recess. The girls are outsiders, and one day pause the game to befriend another outsider, a sweet, naïve new girl in town, and teach her teenage ways. To their horror, when other students tell the girl about their sex game, she insists on joining in. Themes include friendship, sexuality, social class, innocence, fitting in.

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The Model Millionaire

The Model Millionaire: Short story by Oscar WildeThrough humor and irony, this story by Oscar Wilde shows how an act of kindness can sometimes change one’s life. Handsome, well-spoken and adored by everyone who knows him, Hughie Erskine can’t seem to make a success of life. To marry the woman he loves, he needs to show her father that he has the impossible amount (for him) of £10,000 to his name. A chance visit to an artist friend and the generous gift of his last sovereign to a beggar he was painting solves his problem. Themes include appearance vs. reality, compassion and kindness, selflessness, generosity, karma.

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