The Railroad and the Churchyard

Post category:Novelettes

The Railroad and the Churchyard: Short story by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson In this story by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson two friends fall out over a proposal to sell the public grain magazine and establish a community savings bank. The decision (to sell the magazine) brings prosperity to all. Years later, as many in the parish face financial ruin due to speculation, the two clash again over a proposal to allow a new railway to pass through the town. Although the railway will increase land values, the only route possible includes part of an old, disused cemetery. This leads to a fiery ending. Themes include friendship, tradition vs. progress, conflicts of interest, desperation, community.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Post category:Short Stories

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty: Short story by James Thurber A major theme of this story by James Thurber is escapism (in this case taking charge of one’s life through fantasy). Walter Mitty, a meek, blundering man who leads a mundane suburban life is perhaps the world’s best-known daydreamer. Constantly humiliated by his dominating, nagging wife and others he encounters in the community, his way of compensating is to escape into exciting, imaginary worlds. There, he acts out fantasies in which he is the opposite of his real self, performing wondrous feats and bravely facing all kinds of danger. Other themes: identity, self-respect, masculinity, gender roles.

The Decapitated Chicken

Post category:Short Stories

The Decapitated Chicken: Short story by Horacio Quiroga In this story by Horacio Quiroga a loving couple has four sons, each of whom soon degenerates into idiocy. The couple become bitter and resentful, each blaming the other for their sons’ congenital imbecility. When a daughter is born who does not share the condition, the parents ignore the boys, leaving them in the care of a servant who brutally mistreats them. One day the boys watch as the cook decapitates a chicken. Fascinated by the sight of blood, they later imitate the act with the only small ‘animal’ available. Themes include mental illness, despair, rejection and neglect, cruelty, violence.

The Chaser

Post category:Quick Reads

The Chaser: Short story by John Collier On the surface, John Collier’s The Chaser is a light-hearted story about a young man looking to buy a love potion to enchant the woman of his dreams. However, in the old man’s final words Au revoir (goodbye until we meet again), we realize that the story may be the rising action in a longer plot. A major theme is manipulation. Alan is being as cruelly manipulated as he hopes to manipulate Diana. Other themes: true love vs. obsessive desire, equality vs. servility in relationships, morality (lack of respect for and destruction of Diana’s identity, murder as a solution).

If You Sing like That for Me

Post category:Short Stories

If You Sing like That for Me: Short story by Akhil Sharma In this story by Akhil Sharma, an older Indian woman looks back on the early months of her arranged marriage. Growing up belittled by her mother (for not being as driven and academically successful as her younger sister) and manipulated by her father, she hoped for love. Although initially fearful and distant from her husband, she woke up one morning realizing that she had fallen in love with him. Sadly, when she finds the courage to discuss her feelings, she finds that to him she is a mere commodity. Themes include arranged marriage, sibling rivalry, alienation and loneliness, love, disillusionment.

The Goose Father

Post category:Short Stories

The Goose Father: Short story by Krys Lee In this story by Krys Lee, loneliness drives a South Korean gireogi appa (goose father) to take in a tenant after six months’ living alone. The tenant, an enigmatic young man half the landlord’s age, arrives on his doorstep with a goose he believes to be his reincarnated mother. As the mismatched pair get to know each other, sexual tension builds between them. Something unexpected occurs when the landlord finally comes to terms with his sexual inclinations and is about to express his feelings by kissing the younger man. Themes include family, loneliness, sexuality, love, betrayal, guilt, forgiveness, the supernatural.

Sweet Potato Pie

Post category:Short Stories

Sweet Potato Pie: Short story by Eugenia Collier Like the titular pie, life is sweet for a professor and his cab-driving older brother. The themes in this heart-warming Eugenia Collier story (poverty, family, sacrifice, education and gratitude) lie in how the two got where they are. A close-knit family works together to survive poverty, with the older children caring for the young and leaving school as soon as possible. The family can afford for only one child (the professor) to complete his education. Although his brother proudly hails him as a “somebody”, it is clear that their childhood experiences have helped both make successes of their lives.

The House on Mango Street / Those Who Don’t / Alicia and I Talking…

Post category:Quick Reads

The House on Mango Street: Short stories by Sandra Cisneros Today we have three short vignettes from Sandra Cisneros’s House on Mango Street. Each deals with an aspect of “place”. The protagonist’s Mexican-American family moves to a new neighborhood. Although far from perfect, their small house is special because they own it. It lies in a Hispanic part of town that most outsiders consider dangerous. However, the only time they feel scared is if they drive through “another color’s” neighborhood. A year later, the protagonist reflects on why the house (of which she is ashamed) doesn’t yet feel like home. Themes: childhood, family, shame, belonging, house vs. home.

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