Philip Dick’s The Minority Report is a dystopian adventure story set in a society that takes policing a step even further than the infamous “Thought Police” in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. Its premise is that the authorities have found a way to identify a crime and imprison the would-be perpetrator before he or she even thinks of committing it. Their methods in doing this are disturbing to say the least. Themes: (general) free will vs. fate, injustice, trust vs. paranoia, self-fulfilling prophesy, extrajudicial murder; (for the “precogs”) violation of human rights, enslavement, degradation. More…
The Kiss
In this Anton Chekhov story, a mistaken kiss in a darkened room temporarily transforms the life of a shy, insecure army officer. He returns to duty on a high, wondering who the woman was and fanaticizing that he could be as successful in love and life as his fellow officers. Some weeks later, he eagerly returns to the scene. When nothing special takes place, he sees the folly of his summer dreams and fancies. In addition to Chekhov’s common message of the cruelty and unpredictability of life, themes include misunderstanding, human desire, self-delusion, raised hopes and shattered dreams. More…
Clean Sweep
The main theme of this story from Jane Bauer is how seemingly insignificant objects from one’s past can spark powerful (and in this case healing) memories. It also contrasts two families: one brought closer through tragedy and the need to work together to secure their future, the other torn apart by misunderstanding and bitterness and too stubborn to make the first move. In the latter case, a child’s book that brings a stony-faced old woman to tears and simple phone call are all it takes to restore relationships. Other themes: loss, memories, family connections, aging and loneliness, estrangement and reconciliation. More…
Up in Michigan / My Old Man
Today we have two short stories from Ernest Hemingway’s first book, Three Stories and Ten Poems, published in Paris in 1923. Although they don’t exhibit the tight, straightforward writing style for which Hemingway later became famous, they are indicative of the writing genius to come. The first, Up in Michigan, issues a grim warning to women about date rape. The subject matter was so contentious that it wasn’t considered publishable in the United States until 1938. The second story, My Old Man, is a coming of age story dealing with a boy’s relationship with his jockey father. More…
Now That April’s Here
This story by Morley Callaghan is a bitter-sweet satire of the “lost generation”, a group of American expatriate writers living in Paris during the 1920s. Two men, obviously lovers, travel to France because America had nothing to offer them. One has a small income, the other is an aspiring writer. They appear to thrive in the local café society, constantly snickering over people they meet. All is well until they offer shared accommodation to a promiscuous young woman who shares her pleasures with them in return. Themes include disenchantment, search for fulfillment, sexuality, dependence, hedonism, jealousy, abandonment. More…