Featured Stories

The Legend of the Christmas Rose

The Legend of the Christmas Rose: Short story by Selma LagerlöfThe major themes of this Christmas story from Selma Lagerlöf are faith, forgiveness, redemption and, of course, the supernatural (the miracle of the Christmas garden). When the wife of an infamous outlaw is discovered admiring a monastery’s herb garden, she tells its Abbot that his prized garden is nothing compared to the one that emerges from the snow outside their forest hideout each Christmas Eve. In the hope of getting her husband pardoned, she agrees to lead the Abbot to see the miracle. Other themes: judging by appearances, mistrust, and materialism (the idea that the poor are closer to God).

Continue ReadingThe Legend of the Christmas Rose

(Because) We’re Very Poor

(Because) We're Very Poor: Short story by Juan RulfoThis story by Juan Rulfo describes the devastating impact of an unexpected flood on a post-revolutionary Mexican farming family and, in doing so, highlights the limited life choices available to children of the rural poor. Told in the form of a narrative by a boy, we learn that in addition to losing their entire crop, his family lost a precious cow intended to provide “capital” to prevent his twelve-year-old sister from following their older sisters into prostitution. His mother questions God; his father accepts their fate. Themes include family, poverty/social injustice, the unpredictability and power of nature, helplessness, fatalism, prostitution.

Continue Reading(Because) We’re Very Poor

Sacred Duty / Mugaddas Farz

Sacred Duty / Mugaddas Farz: Short story by Ismat ChughtaiIn this entertaining story by Ismat Chughtai, two sets of manipulative parents are put in their place after a Muslem girl opts out of an arranged marriage the day before it is due to take place and elopes with a Hindu boy. For the marriage to be recognized as Hindu, the boy’s parents pressure the girl to convert to Hinduism. To save face, her parents later pressure the boy to convert to Islam and the girl to reconvert. Themes include interfaith marriage, generational conflict and personal freedom, manipulation, the lengths that some cultures will go to preserve family honor.

Continue ReadingSacred Duty / Mugaddas Farz

The Faith Cure Man

The Faith Cure Man: Short story by Paul DunbarIn this story from Paul Dunbar, a faith healer provides the last hope for a desperate woman who has been told that medical science can do nothing more for her seriously ill daughter. Despite the narrator’s skepticism, the tragic ending neither proves nor disproves the validity of faith healing. Although the mother certainly has the “faith”, the poor child is too young and/or sick to understand or even care about what is happening around her. The major theme of the story is that distraught people are easy prey to those offering false hope. Other themes: love, desperation, hope, faith, death.

Continue ReadingThe Faith Cure Man

The Dead

The Dead: Short story by James JoyceThe major themes in this James Joyce masterpiece are failure to change (paralysis) and, of course, death and “the dead”. Other themes include Irish Nationalism, cultural identity, tradition, privilege, pride, and self-discovery. Gabriel, a condescending Irish intellectual, has rejected his country’s entrenched “backward” culture and embraced cosmopolitan British ways. His wife’s reaction to a little-known Irish folk-song sung by her long-dead first love brings about an epiphany. Gabriel suddenly realizes the need to take more positive steps in his own life, and how the lives of the dead can have a major influence on the living.

Continue ReadingThe Dead

Railroad Standard Time

Railroad Standard Time: Short story by Frank ChinMajor themes of this semi-autobiographical story by Frank Chin are time (symbolized by an inherited pocket watch that keeps Railroad Standard Time), the clash between traditional Chinese and ‘modern’ American culture, and the need to move away from long-held stereotypes of Chinese-American men and women. Ironically for a story that focuses on time, the plot does not proceed linearly. As the narrator drives to and from his mother’s funeral, the story moves from memories of the past to the present and then back again, with the watch providing a connection between them. Other themes: nostalgia, family, cultural heritage, identity, masculinity.

Continue ReadingRailroad Standard Time

All the King’s Horses

All the King's Horses: Short story by Kurt VonnegutThe major theme of this Cold War allegory from Kurt Vonnegut is the human cost involved in resolving armed conflicts. The focus of the story is the moral dilemma faced by those in ultimate command… the need to put personal feelings aside and make strategic decisions that are likely to result in collateral losses. The story also reflects the dynamics of power in war: how the ordinary soldier, general population, and even vassal powers such as Pi Ying’s rebels, are mere pawns in a “game” beyond their control. Other themes: cruelty, dehumanization, sacrifice, manipulation.

Continue ReadingAll the King’s Horses

Gorilla, My Love

Gorilla, My Love: Short story by Toni Cade BambaraHazel, the protagonist in this Toni Cade Bambara story, is a feisty African-American girl growing up in New York City. Its major theme, truth and honesty, is conveyed through Hazel’s anger over two events: a misrepresented movie title and an offhand promise made to pacify her as a child. Her initial reaction to the first (demanding a refund) demonstrates growing maturity. Her emotional reaction to the second (tears) indicates she hasn’t quite got there. Given Hazel’s angry (criminal) response when refused the refund, one feels sorry for poor Hunca Bubba! Other themes: family, racism, deceit, anger, protest, betrayal.

Continue ReadingGorilla, My Love