The major theme of this touching children’s fantasy (aka How Toys Become Real) from Margery Williams is the transforming power of love. A cheaply made stuffed toy (Rabbit) is made to feel inferior by the more “advanced” toys in the nursery. A wise but badly worn old toy (Skin Horse) gives it some memorable advice: Real isn’t how you are made. It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child [someone] loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real. Other themes: being different, rejection, hope, loss, fulfillment. More…
The Drowned Giant
In this story by J. G. Ballard, the body of a giant man is dehumanized because of its otherworldly size. Left to rot on a beach, it first becomes a tourist attraction and later a source of exploitation as various body parts are taken for commercial purposes or as souvenirs. The narrator, who is clearly disturbed by the disrespectful way the body is treated, perceives it as having a transcendent, Homeric quality. This begs a fascinating question: What does it take to be considered human? Themes include humanity, identity, mortality, curiosity, fear (of a potentially superior race), fame, exploitation. More…
Small Change
This impressionistic novella by Yehudit Hendel describes the psychological trauma experienced by an Israeli woman while imprisoned for a minor crime in post-World War 2 Switzerland. After growing up in an oppressive atmosphere dominated by a cold, autocratic father, her nightmarish ordeal is an allusion to Germany’s inhuman treatment of detainees during the holocaust. Although severely impacted by the experience, she is empowered to rebel against her cruel, obsessive father, who has cared more about his stamp and small change collections than his family. Themes: parent-child relationships, obsession, anti-Semitism, injustice, cruelty and sexual violence, self-empowerment. More…
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
This fictional account of life in a former Soviet Gulag (forced labor camp) is drawn from author Alexandr Solzhenitsyn’s personal experience as a prisoner under the Stalin regime. Its major theme is survival in a system designed to break inmates through a combination of harsh conditions, brutality and absurd camp rules. Some survive with dignity, others through theft, scavenging, and snitching on fellow prisoners. The weak and those who question the system don’t survive. Other themes include injustice, power and authority, corruption, cruelty, suffering, endurance, pride, camaraderie, competition, faith, memories and time. More…
Kissy Face
On the surface, this story by Nancy Jean Northcutt for Highlights Magazine is a simple tale about a young boy who doesn’t like being kissed. Like most good stories, it also raises some interesting questions. First, how much of James’s problem with being kissed is because of the hurtful teasing by best friend Ben? Additionally, although James is happy to see the extra attention being given to his new brother now, will he feel the same about this continuing into the future? Finally, how will he handle the extra responsibilities normally expected of the oldest child in a family? More…