Set in the American South during the days of enforced segregation, this story by Jean Toomer involves a love triangle between Louisa, an attractive young African-American woman and two men. Bob (the entitled son a white planter whose slaves were freed and landholdings reduced after the Civil War) picks a fight with his adversary Tom (a poor, quick-tempered black labourer). When Bob pulls a knife, Tom does likewise and kills him. In keeping with the times, Tom is gruesomely executed by a white vigilante mob. Themes: love vs. lust, racism/white supremacy, identity, violence, vigilante justice. More…
The Bunyip
Folklore is full of stories of fierce mythical creatures. North America has Bigfoot or the Sasquatch, Nepal and Tibet have the Yeti, and Australia has the Yowie/Yahoo and water-dwelling Bunyip. Bunyip sightings have been reported since the early days of settlement, and today’s story is one of the first literary accounts of the creature. A foolish aboriginal hunter tries to kidnap a Bunyip cub, secure in the knowledge that he can out-run its clumsy mother on land. He learns too late that the mother has magic powers that will change his people forever. More…
The Decapitated Chicken
In this story by Horacio Quiroga a loving couple has four sons, each of whom soon degenerates into idiocy. The couple become bitter and resentful, each blaming the other for their sons’ congenital imbecility. When a daughter is born who does not share the condition, the parents ignore the boys, leaving them in the care of a servant who brutally mistreats them. One day the boys watch as the cook decapitates a chicken. Fascinated by the sight of blood, they later imitate the act with the only small ‘animal’ available. Themes include mental illness, despair, rejection and neglect, cruelty, violence. More…
The Distant Past
In this story by William Trevor, Irish villagers ridicule an elderly brother and sister for living in the past by clinging to their family’s long-held British allegiance. Almost forty years have passed since the Anglo-Irish War. The rest of the community, who are predominantly Republican, have moved on. That is until “The Troubles” of the late 1960s, when the other villagers’ hatred and mistrust of the British resurfaces. The once well-liked siblings find themselves ostracized, proving that the past is never far away. Themes: family loyalty and pride, isolation, tolerance, friendship, religious/political conflict, alienation, the interrelationship between past and present. More…
First Confession
Although the plot of this Frank O’Connor story deals with an important milestone in the Catholic faith, the points made are equally relevant to several other religions. The story satirizes the instilling of fear (of punishment/Hell) as the reason for taking the Eucharist as opposed to celebrating God’s love. A young boy’s intolerance over his country grandmother’s unusual habits results in violent fantasies. A priest’s double standards in scolding the boy’s sister for hitting him and “rewarding” the boy for confessing these murderous thoughts sends them both a confusing message. Themes include innocence, morality, guilt, indoctrination, intimidation, fear, hypocrisy. More…