After a commentary on the role of perspective and the art of storytelling, this Julio Cortázar story goes on to describe how an amateur photographer captures an image that seemingly comes alive, rewriting its narrative. While taking the photograph (of an adolescent boy in an obviously uncomfortable discussion with an adult woman) he comes up with several possible interpretations of what is taking place and what may happen afterwards. Things take a dark turn when he realizes that a man in a nearby car is part of the narrative. Themes include storytelling, narrative perspective, speculation, obsession, artistic imagery vs. reality. More…
Faith, Love, Time and Dr. Lazaro
The major themes of this story by Gregorio C. Brillantes are expressed in the title. A country doctor, disillusioned by the suffering of patients and his oldest son’s suicide, has lost faith in religion and become detached from his deeply religious wife and younger son. As the son accompanies him on a late night house call to attend a dying baby, he realizes how out of touch the two have become. Upon their return, he has a momentary epiphany: for things like love, there was only so much time. Other themes include indifference, isolation, duty, father-son relationships, poverty. More…
The Revolt of “Mother”
This Mary E. Wilkins Freeman story is an early example of American literary feminism. When Adoniram, an insensitive, authoritarian farmer decides to build a barn on the site of a promised new house and refuses to discuss the issue, his long-suffering wife takes a stand. Sarah, the hard-working and devoted “Mother”, sees his need to spend a few days away as a sign from God. Much to the surprise and amusement of the local community, she goes about turning the new barn into a home. Themes: gender roles/repression (male domination), insincerity (false promises), spirituality, rebellion. More…
Aquifer
Aquifer is from Tim Winton’s collection The Turning. Set in an Australian immigrant suburb, the overlapping stories explore life-shaping events in otherwise ordinary lives. Here, a drop in the aquifer brought about by land clearing and prolonged dry weather drains a nearby swamp. A news story about the discovery of human bones at the water’s edge prompts a middle-aged ex-resident to re-live his childhood and the time when, as the only witness, he calmly stood by and watched a neighborhood bully drown. Themes: change, racial stereotyping, perceptions of time. Change is explored on three levels: personal, community and the environment. More…
He
The central theme of this poignant, rather dark story from Katherine Porter is a mother’s relationship with her devoted special needs son. The woman is obsessed with appearances. Although she professes greater love for him than her other children combined, one wonders if this is out of pity or, worse, a mere show for neighbors. Similarly, are her tears as she takes the boy to the County Home the result of losing him, a sense of failure/shame as a mother, and/or (as the narrator cruelly suggests) wishing he had never been born? Other themes: struggle against poverty, family, appearances, guilt. More…