Today we are featuring two award-winning stories from Cynthia Ozick. The first, The Shawl, is set in Second World War Poland and deals with the horrors of the holocaust as experienced a young mother (Rosa), her infant child (Magda), and fourteen-year-old-niece (Stella). The second story, Rosa, is a sequel to the first. Set in the USA over thirty years later, it demonstrates the devastating long-term effects of the women’s war-time experiences. More…
A Ride Out of Phrao
In this story by Dina Nayeri a willful, “middle-aged” Iranian-American woman whose life has fallen apart in the United States joins the Peace Corps and is posted to a small village in Northern Thailand. After exploring some of her experiences settling in, the story moves to a visit by her estranged daughter. The mother is a shameless liar and had even lied about the accommodation they would be sharing… a steamy hut with a squat toilet! Needless to say, the visit doesn’t last long. Themes include community life, culture clash, isolation, social conventions, mother-daughter relationships, identity, truthfulness, resistance, perseverance. More…
Dusk
James 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. More…
The Slump
In this story by John Updike, a professional baseball player tries to analyze why he is no longer hitting the ball as well as he used to. He was recruited for his batting, and is worried about losing his position on the team. He identifies that the problem is psychological (in the batting cage I own the place) and concludes that he has lost his passion for the game because it has no meaning for him anymore. Themes include self-knowledge, pressure to succeed (dread), liberation, the fleeting nature of fame, frustration, futility, shame, existentialism. More…
Winter Dreams
The protagonist in this F. Scott Fitzgerald story has two dreams (three if you count defeating Mr. Hedrick at golf!) The first is the Great American Dream (to become wealthy despite humble beginnings), which he achieves. The second is to win the heart of the seemingly heartless Miss Judy Jones, which proves unachievable. He is a typical Fitzgerald male: driven, successful and passionate about marrying (possessing) Judy where others have failed. Spoiled Judy is a tragic figure: take away the thrill of being chased, and there is little left. Themes include social class, ambition, success, romance, hollowness, failure, disillusionment. More…