The major themes of this Judith Ortiz Cofer story are respect and consideration for the feelings of others. The protagonist’s (Connie’s) Abuela deserved respect because of her age and family contribution. Instead, Connie appears put out by her visit. Her tone in describing what happens from the moment Abuela arrives to events in the church is condescending and belittling, showing little cultural awareness or thought for the poor woman’s frailty and possible senility. The self-admitted “jerk” is more worried about the inconvenience and “look” (her social image) than her Abuela’s feelings. Other themes: family, aging, responsibility, embarrassment. More…
She
This story by Jason Brown contrasts the platonic first love a junior high schooler feels for the boy she has been going with since sixth grade to intense feelings she develops for a classmate with a “bad boy” reputation. Initially, the new relationship appears perfect as he treats her with respect and they discuss dreams and plans for the future. However, things take a potentially tragic turn when, confused and ashamed, she calls it off after experiencing a moment of sexual arousal during a petting session in the backseat of a car. Themes: love, sexuality, desire, passion, guilt, shame, retribution. More…
Nothing Ever Breaks Except the Heart
In this story from Kay Boyle, a harried man working in an airline ticket office befriends a woman trying to reach America from war-torn Europe. The essence of the story lies in his response to a complaint by a fellow employee: I tell you, I can’t do it much longer. I’m at the breaking point. His retort: You’ve been saying that for a year and a half. But nothing ever breaks. We later learn that something has broken for the man (his heart), and it is not over a woman! Themes: unfulfilled dreams, alcohol abuse, self-reproach, despair, flight from war. More…
Evening Primrose
It is always nice to find a story with a quirky, innovative storyline. John Collier’s Evening Primrose is in the form of a journal describing the experiences of a failed poet who gives up the outside world to spend the rest of his life living in a department store. He plans to hide out by day and wander the store at night collecting food and other necessities. To his surprise, he finds that a small community of like-minded people already inhabit the store. The only things they fear are discovery by the night watchman and the gruesome “Dark Men.” More…
How Muster-Master Stoneman Earned his Breakfast
This story by Price Warung (aka William Astley) is one of a series dealing with Australia’s early days as a penal colony. Set in the late 1830s, its major theme is the cruel and inhuman treatment of convicts who challenged the system. The story is critical of both the system itself, which in many cases turned petty thieves into hardened criminals, and the brutality of the officers who administered it. A feature of the story is Warung’s extensive use of satire (from the title to terms like “the mild discipline” (of) “a genial and loving motherland”) in highlighting these points. More…