Featured Stories

Christmas Storms and Sunshine

Christmas Storms and Sunshine: Short story by Elizabeth GaskellThis tale by Elizabeth Gaskell uses Christmas as a backdrop to deliver a touching message about rivalry, jealousy, forgiveness and being a good neighbor. Two men living in the same rooming house work for rival newspapers. The papers support opposing political views, and are openly critical of each other. Loyalty to their employers has resulted in a rift between the two men; loyalty to their husbands, coupled with petty jealousies, has resulted in hatred between their wives. A hungry cat, seriously ill child, Christmas carolers, and a plate of homemade sausages bring everybody together.

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Examination Day

Examination Day : Short story by Henry SlesarSet in a late 20th century dystopian society, this story by Henry Slesar questions the acceptable limits of government control. A couple appears tense at the breakfast table on what should be a happy day, their only son’s twelfth birthday. The following week, the boy must take a government intelligence test. Although the father appears poorly educated, struggling to answer basic science questions, his son does well at school and is confident of passing. To their horror, he does even better and aces the exam. Themes include government control, fear, oppression, conditioning and acceptance, eugenics.

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The Tale of the Two Oxen / Do Bailon Ki Katha

The Tale of the Two Oxen / Do Bailon Ki Katha: Short story by PremchandThis story by Premchand has three important themes: kindness to animals, friendship, and faith. A series of adventures begin for two oxen (Hira and Moti) when Jhuri, their much-loved owner, lends them to his wife’s brother who lives far away. The brother-in-law mistreats the poor animals and, with the help of a kind girl, they run away. Their friendship gives them the strength to endure an attack by a raging bull, beatings, and starvation before being sold to a butcher. As they almost lose hope and begin to question their faith in God, a ‘miracle’ helps them return home.

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Dusk

Dusk: Short story by James SalterJames Salter’s Dusk is about the loneliness of reaching middle age and finding yourself alone in the world. Mrs Chandler is a cultured woman who once led an active social life. The narrator describes her as a fine woman whom no one now wanted. Her only son is dead, her other children have moved on, her husband has left her, and her lover is reuniting with his wife. It is hunting season, and she identifies with the wild geese being shot for sport: The rain was coming down, the sea was crashing, a comrade lay dead in the whirling darkness.

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A Joke

A Joke: Short story by Anton ChekhovIn this story by Anton Chekhov, a young man plays a trick on a terrified lady-friend by whispering a ghostly I love you as they speed down a mountain on a toboggan. Unsure of what she heard, the woman asks the man to repeat the ride over and over. Each time they do so, he whispers the same words. Soon it becomes an obsession and every day she wants to go up the mountain to listen for the words. Her reaction when she thinks she has the answer is a surprise. Themes include fear, innocence, playful deception, confusion, obsession, regret.

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Noise Level

Noise Level: Short story by Raymond F. JonesThe major theme of this Science Fiction mystery by Raymond F. Jones is unlocking the hidden potential of the human mind. A government research laboratory gathers America’s leading scientists to replicate an “antigravity belt” that seemingly defies the fundamental laws of physics. The secretive young inventor died in an accident demonstrating the belt. He left no notes, and the only prototype was destroyed in the crash. To complicate matters his areas of research included not only the sciences, but also the occult with a special interest in levitation. Other themes: scientific dogmatism vs. open-mindedness, the scientific method, deception.

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Punishment

Punishment: Short story by Rabindranath TagoreThe central theme of this story by Rabindranath Tagore is the dehumanization of women under India’s patriarchal social structure. When a farmer murders his wife in a fit of rage, his brother asks his wife to take the blame, promising to testify that she did it in self-defence. In court she denies this, pleads guilty, and is sentenced to hang. For her, love and hope died when her husband asked her to lie and she saw death as preferable to a life of misery. Other themes include poverty, exploitation, jealousy, betrayal, the unpredictable consequences of a lie.

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Good Country People

Good Country People: Short story by Flannery O'ConnorIn this story by Flannery O’Connor a condescending, highly educated woman who lost a leg in a childhood accident learns a potentially life-changing lesson when she tries to seduce a young bible salesman claiming to have come from a good country family. A message of the story is the danger of judging people by superficial factors such as where they come from, education level and socioeconomic status. Ironically, despite considering themselves “Good Country People”, none of the main characters match the implied qualities of that description. Themes include identity, faith, stereotyping, hypocrisy, disability, appearance vs. reality, naivety, deception.

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