This story from Khushwant Singh contrasts the superstitious beliefs of a poorly educated Hindu servant (Gunga Ram) with the science taught at school to four bratty children. As the title implies, the story revolves around Gunga Ram’s devotion to the god Vishnu and what to him is a sacred snake (Kala Nag). Singh was a self-proclaimed agnostic. The story, and in particular its ironic conclusion, is a satire of organized religion and animist beliefs. Themes: faith, illiteracy, superstition vs. logic, class, (lack of) respect, change. The story’s message: blind faith can lead to disaster. More…
Town and Country Lovers
Although the South African law banning sexual intercourse between “whites” and “non-whites” was repealed in 1985 (five years after Nadine Gordimer wrote this story), inter-racial and inter-religious relationships are still frowned upon in some cultures. Moreover, as in the story, the consequences for women are often much more severe than for men. Despite the obvious affection between the two couples in the story, questions arise as to whether for the men the sex was a function of convenience rather than love, and the extent to which the women initially felt pressured into participating. Themes: forbidden love, sexual coercion, unequal consequences. More…
Prey
In this famous horror story from Richard Matheson, a young woman buys her new boyfriend a Zuni fetish doll for his birthday. A scroll inside the box reads This is He Who Kills…. He is a deadly hunter. As she prepares to shower, the doll turns out to be the real deal. It escapes the gold chain designed to keep the hunter’s spirit locked inside, and sets off in search of prey. You get the feeling that both the girl and the spirit are at least temporarily happy with the outcome. However, the girl’s controlling mother may not be! More…
Greatness Strikes Where It Pleases
This touching story by Lars Gustafsson explores the life of a severely retarded man who was institutionalized from age seven. Although it mentions the obvious issues of social isolation, loneliness, and ill-treatment, these are not the focus of the story. Rather, it is a celebration of how, cut off from society and without love or human companionship, he uses childhood memories to connect to the world through an imaginary private universe in which, as the creator, he holds a place of greatness. Themes include social isolation and loneliness, powerlessness, the importance of language, memories, imagination, connection. More…
The Rats in the Walls
In this story by H. P. Lovecraft, the sound of a swarm of rats in the walls of his recently restored family castle causes the last of a long line of British aristocrats to lead a group of scientists to explore its long-sealed lower chambers. There they find a hidden city and evidence spanning many millennia of the capture and farming of human and quadrupedal sub-human beings for sacrifice and consumption. The excitement is too much for the owner, who quickly reverts to his old family ways. Themes include heritage and identity, genetic madness, paganism, human sacrifice. More…