The central theme of this story by Rabindranath Tagore is the nature of truth (i.e. that our beliefs, experiences and circumstances tend to shape our perception of reality). A train passenger shares a story about the time he stayed alone in a deserted, seemingly haunted palace. According to local legend, those who slept there either disappeared or went mad. Unfortunately, the train arrives before he discloses the palace’s secret. The narrator dismisses the story as a fabrication. His companion, a theosophist who believes in the spirit world, disagrees. Other themes include the supernatural, greed and desire, fear, uncertainty. More…
The Old Man and the Sea
The central character in this award-winning novella by Ernest Hemingway is a down on his luck, aging fisherman who hasn’t caught a fish for 84 days. Convinced things are about to change, he ventures further out to sea than usual and hooks a giant marlin longer than his small boat. He finally reels it in after a three-day struggle and secures it to the side of his boat. Sadly, his prize is “stolen” on the way back to shore. Themes: man vs. nature, friendship, luck, memories, perseverance, suffering, religion, pride, defeat (a man can be destroyed but not defeated). More…
The King is Dead, Long Live the King!
This story from Mary Coleridge includes some excellent examples of situational irony. A king dies of fever, regretting that he had not lived long enough to finish his work. His spirit dreams his life will be restored if it can locate three people who wish that he was still alive within an hour of his death. The spirit’s findings are not what it had expected, and an even greater insult awaits when it returns to the palace. The story encourages readers to think about what kind of person they think they are, and whether their friends or partner would agree. More…
A Tiger in the House
In this story by Ruskin Bond, an old man finds what appears to be an orphan tiger cub in the jungle and takes it home as a family pet. After six months, the cub grows out of its ‘playful’ stage and starts to become less friendly. The old man donates the tiger to a zoo, and gets an unexpected surprise when he visits it six months later. The story raises serious questions about the man’s two decisions (to take the tiger cub home, and to give the grown animal to a zoo where there are no others of its kind). More…
Diamond Cuts Diamond
In this Indian folktale, a man travels to a distant land to seek his fortune. He succeeds and decides to convert his riches to jewels and return home. As he nears home, a ‘friendly’ merchant warns him that there are robbers on the road ahead. The traveler leaves his jewels in the care of the merchant. He then travels home to hire men to help him get the jewels through safely. On his return, the merchant tries to cheat him. To get the jewels back, the traveler needs help from someone who is even better at cheating than the merchant. More…