This heartbreaking story from Anita Desai begins with a working-class Indian father’s proudest moment. His son, always exceedingly respectful to his parents, has topped the country at medical school. The son becomes a highly successful doctor, and fulfills his familial duty by caring for his parents in their old age. As the father’s mental and physical health wanes, their relationship changes. The son ceases to respect his father’s wishes, and implements a harsh treatment plan that includes progressive denial of the old man’s few remaining pleasures in life. Themes: sacrifice, success, respect, envy, rituals/traditions, aging with dignity, devotion vs. duty. More…
A Game of Cards
This early story by Witi Ihimaera examines the universal themes of love, family, community and mortality from a Maori perspective. A university student visiting his dying grandmother symbolizes the deep family connections among his people. The old woman’s only recreation over the years has been lively card nights with friends and neighbors. These symbolize the strong connection and, despite some good-natured cheating, unity among community members. The spontaneous gathering in her final hours demonstrates her community’s approach to death. Rather than shying away until after the event, they come together to pay respects and ease her passing. More…
Tiny, Smiling Daddy
Mary Gaitskill doesn’t pull punches. This is one of those rare stories where you (almost) feel sympathy for a protagonist who is a real jerk. A father reflects on the past after learning that his daughter has written a magazine article about their relationship following her “coming out” as lesbian. Any sympathy stems from the fact that there are two sides to his character: the angry, self-absorbed homophobe who threw his daughter out of the house; and the confused, reclusive, emotionally troubled man struggling to face his failings as a father. Themes: father-daughter relationships, teenage rebellion, sexual identity, acceptance, disconnection. More…
The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse
This story by William Saroyan describes a nine-year-old boy’s short encounters with a beautiful white horse ‘borrowed’ without permission by an older cousin. The boy’s family is part of an impoverished Armenian farming community living in the United States after being displaced from their homeland. The tribe to which the family belongs is renowned for the honesty and integrity of its members and, as might be expected, these are central themes of the story. Other themes include the refugee experience, temptation in the face of poverty, family values (reputation) vs. desire, rationalizing inappropriate behaviour, compassion, conscience. More…
The Enchanted Buffalo
Contrary to the title, this story by L Frank Baum is about events that took place in a herd of American bison, not buffalos. With help from Pagshat, the “Evil Genius of the Prairies”, a treacherous bull kills his herd’s aging and much loved king. After defeating four challengers for the position, he is declared the new leader. His only remaining threat is the young son of the old king who, with more help from Pagshat, he plans to eliminate before he reaches maturity. Themes include aging, greed, betrayal, magic/the supernatural. More…