Featured Stories

The Egg

The Egg: Short story by Andy WeirAndy Weir’s The Egg is so thought provoking that I have re-read it several times over the years. The story comprises a conversation between “god” and a dead man about the meaning and purpose of life (to grow his soul through new experiences), and his place in the universe. Other themes (equality, consideration for others, and empathy) are nicely summed up in the paragraph: Every time you victimized someone, you were victimizing yourself. Every act of kindness you’ve done, you’ve done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was, or will be, experienced by you.

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Examination Day

Examination Day : Short story by Henry SlesarSet in a late 20th century dystopian society, this story by Henry Slesar questions the acceptable limits of government control. A couple appears tense at the breakfast table on what should be a happy day, their only son’s twelfth birthday. The following week, the boy must take a government intelligence test. Although the father appears poorly educated, struggling to answer basic science questions, his son does well at school and is confident of passing. To their horror, he does even better and aces the exam. Themes include government control, fear, oppression, conditioning and acceptance, eugenics.

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Open It / Khol Do

Open It / Khol Do: Short story by Saadat Hasan MantoSet in the aftermath of India’s Partition, this story by Saadat Hasan Manto highlights how a total breakdown in law-and-order led to many predatory attacks against women. A father, separated from his seventeen-year-old daughter as they fled after his wife was disembowelled in front of them, desperately searches for her in a refugee camp for Indian Muslims evacuated to Pakistan. Some camp volunteers agree to look for the girl. They are successful, but do not return her. When found, her corpse displays a shocking conditioned reflex. Themes include displacement, chaos, gendered violence, depravity, fatherly love, despair.

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The Princess of Nebraska

The Princess of Nebraska: Short story by Yiyun LiIn this story by Yiyun Li, a pregnant Chinese graduate student has traveled from Nebraska to Chicago for an abortion. The father, a former “dan” actor, is still in China and not returning messages. Accompanying her is a Chinese activist, who was the dan actor’s boyfriend before fleeing the country. Both are still in love with the actor, and the activist would prefer she keep the baby to lure him to America. In the closing paragraph, her resolve appears to weaken as the baby begins to move. Themes include repression vs. freedom, loneliness, sexuality, identity, choice vs. consequences.

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The Revolt of “Mother”

The Revolt of 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.

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Dragon, Dragon

Dragon, Dragon: Short story by John GardnerThe central theme of this humorous story by John Gardner is to respect the views of one’s elders. A dragon ravages a medieval kingdom with some modern touches (clocks, novels, cars and cigars). When the king’s knights and wizard prove ineffective, he calls a town meeting to ask for ideas, promising his daughter’s hand and half his kingdom to anyone who can slay the dragon. After the two older sons of a wise cobbler ignore their father’s advice and fail, their nervous younger son heeds his words and succeeds. Other themes include social class, honor, and courage (overcoming one’s fears).

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Lajwanti

Lajwanti: Short story by Mulk Raj AnandMany Mulk Raj Anand stories deal with the disadvantaged in traditional Indian society. Here a young woman from a poor rural family suffers under the custom of living with her in-laws. While her husband is temporarily living in the city, his sadistic older brother makes unwanted sexual advances. Knowing that no help will come from her mother-in-law, she runs away. When this doesn’t work, she tries to drown herself. Her thoughts when rescued: There is no way for me. I am condemned to live! Themes: women’s status in traditional Indian society, physical and sexual abuse, escape, humiliation, desperation, suicide.

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The Tall Woman

The Tall Woman: Short story by Pedro Antonio de AlarcónIn this story by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón, a young engineer’s life-long phobia about meeting a woman on a deserted street in the early hours of the morning appears well-founded. On two nights, three years apart, he encounters the same tall, fearsome-looking woman. On each occasion, he receives news of the of death of a loved one the following morning. To add to the mystery, when the engineer dies several months later, the tall woman appears at the cemetery and laughs as his coffin is unloaded from the hearse. Themes include irrational fear, coincidence vs. fate, the supernatural.

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