What I Saw from Where I Stood

What I Saw from Where I Stood: Short story by Marisa SilverThis story by Marisa Silver is about a couple’s struggle to keep their marriage together after the miscarriage of their first child. Told from the husband’s point of view, it describes his wife’s trauma and slow recovery, which is set back by a carjacking in which they are held at gunpoint. This results in paranoia over security (so much so that she locks herself away over Halloween) and a rat in their bedroom wall. In a desperate attempt to save the marriage, he decides to take charge. Themes include loss, trauma and heartache, compassion and support, “flukishness”, disillusionment, paranoia.

Continue ReadingWhat I Saw from Where I Stood

The Homemaker / Gharwali

The Homemaker / Gharwali: Short story by Ismat ChughtaiIn this story by Ismat Chughtai, an orphan growing up on the streets learns that her body is her only asset. Alluring and without shame, she is known for providing sex for money, on credit, or as charity. Things change when a friend suggests that a respectable shopkeeper employ her as a housemaid. He refuses because of her reputation, but she is so taken by what she sees after visiting his house that she stays despite his protests and takes over the household. Themes include promiscuity, reputation, hypocrisy, desire, marriage, patriarchy, jealousy, the importance of “belonging”.

Continue ReadingThe Homemaker / Gharwali

Shells

Shells: Short story by Cynthia RylantIn Shells by Cynthia Rylant, a recently orphaned boy named Michael is having problems adjusting to living with his aunt Esther. She has never had children, and is very set in her ways. Michael feels alone in the world. He misses his parents, and goes to a new school where he has no friends. Desperate for company, Michael looks in a pet store for ‘some small living thing’ to brighten up his life. He finds just the right pet. When Aunt Esther shows an interest in it, both Michael and the pet start to come out of their shells.

Continue ReadingShells

Christmas Day in the Morning

Christmas Day in the Morning: Children's story by Pearl S. BuckThis coming of age story by Pearl S. Buck tells how doing something special to show how much you love someone can be the greatest gift of all. An old man wakes early one Christmas morning and remembers another Christmas when, as a boy, he first understood how much his father loved him. He decided that the cheap tie he had bought was not good enough, and came up with another gift they both remember for the rest of their lives. He realizes that love alone awakens love and decides to give the gift again. Themes: nostalgia, love, family, giving.

Continue ReadingChristmas Day in the Morning

Life in the Iron-Mills

Life in the Iron-Mills: Short story by Rebecca Harding DavisSet in the 1830s, this story by Rebecca Harding Davis highlights the desperate plight of mill and factory workers during the early stages of the industrial revolution. A young furnace attendant, ostracised by other iron-mill workers because of his mild manner and artistic leaning, lives in squalid conditions with his father and a mildly disfigured female cousin. The cousin, whose love for the man is not reciprocated, destroys both of their lives by stealing money to try to help him. Themes include social inequality, exploitation, poverty, artistry, lack of opportunity, unrequited love, crime and punishment, despair, redemption.

Continue ReadingLife in the Iron-Mills

The Ass, the Table, and the Stick

The Ass, the Table, and the Stick: English folktale from Joseph JacobsIn this English folktale, a young man works for a year and earns a magic donkey. An innkeeper tricks him out of it, so he works for another year and earns a magic table. The same innkeeper tricks him out of this. For his next job, the boy earns a magic stick. This helps the young man get his donkey and table back, as well as to marry his true love. Unfortunately, in winning the girl the young man shows a side of his personality that will make readers wonder if he really deserved all the magical help!

Continue ReadingThe Ass, the Table, and the Stick

Eraser Tattoo

Eraser Tattoo: Short story by Jason ReynoldsIn this story by Jason Reynolds, teenage lovers try to come to grips with being separated after the girl’s family decides to move interstate when their rented apartment of twenty years is sold and leased to a young white couple. The two have been close friends since childhood, and the controlling girl has insisted on burning her initial into the boy’s arm as a token of his enduring devotion. She refuses a tattoo, suggesting her level of commitment may not be as strong. Themes include teenage love, separation, memories, letting go and moving on with life, race and gentrification.

Continue ReadingEraser Tattoo

Greasy Lake

Greasy Lake: Short story by T. C. BoyleThis coming of age story from T. C. Boyle is about three nineteen-year-old boys who think it is “good to be bad”. It begins on a lighthearted note. The boys try to look and act tough, but cruise the streets in their parents’ station wagons and get their highs from sniffing glue. One night, an innocent prank goes terribly wrong. A case of mistaken identity results in a stranger being beaten unconscious, an attempted rape, discovery of a dead body, and the trashing of a family car. The events prove the danger of pretending to be someone you are not.

Continue ReadingGreasy Lake