If you are looking for an action-packed war story, this is not for you. Set in Italy during World War One, this story by Luigi Pirandello is a dialogue-packed discussion among the parents of men who are going or have gone off to war about its impact on their lives. The central themes are patriotism, duty, fear, sacrifice and grief. The climax comes when a man who claimed to be above grief because his son died honorably for his country breaks into tears when forced to confront the fact that the boy really is dead and gone forever. More…
Souvenir
This story by Jayne Anne Phillips focuses on the almost sisterly relationship between a young graduate student (Kate) and her fifty-five-year-old widowed mother who is diagnosed with a potentially fatal brain tumor. Kate’s anguish over her mother’s condition is compounded by moral concern over her older brother’s decision not to disclose the unpleasant prognosis of scheduled brain surgery. As Kate struggles to cope with the possibility of losing her mother, the mother eases her pain by reminiscing about their good times together and making a comforting admission. Themes include alienation and loneliness, death and the fragility of life, motherhood. More…
The Turning
This story from Tim Winton includes themes of alcohol abuse, domestic violence, child neglect, shame, friendship and faith. A mother of two whose hard-drinking husband is increasingly violent towards her becomes close friends with a “Ken-and-Barbie” like new couple in town. When the couple share a story of how religious faith helped turn their lives around, she rejects the notion as not for her. Later, the impulsive purchase of a novelty “snow dome” featuring a hunky-looking Jesus walking on water not only provides amusement, but also becomes the catalyst for an epiphany as she endures a brutal marital rape.
Overcoat
The major theme of this story by Ghulam Abbas is how people judge others by their appearance. A clearly impoverished man uses an overcoat, scarf and cane to create the persona of a well-to-do dandy. He enjoys a leisurely stroll through the streets of Lahore, and is welcomed in shops he could not otherwise enter. Importantly, the reader is also taken in by the guise until it is stripped away as his clothes are removed in hospital. Other themes include loneliness, social class, the human desire to “fit in” and be treated with respect, the unpredictability of life and death. More…
Last Day at School
This very short story describes the feelings of a teacher on the last day of a school year. It is clear from the story that the teacher cares greatly for his students. Grades have been sent home and the long holiday is about to begin. For the teacher, it is an especially memorable day. As well as being the end of the school year, he is leaving teaching and moving on to a different career. Last Day at School was written by Italian teacher-turned-journalist Giovanni Mosca, and presumably talks about his own feelings on leaving teaching in 1936. More…