The Conversion of the Jews
The message of this satirical story by Philip Roth is applicable to all religions: the need to guard against zealotry. A teenaged Jewish boy is disciplined for suggesting that God could impregnate a woman without intercourse. He wasn’t questioning the Jewish belief that Jesus was a man, but rather asserting the power of God to do so. After being slapped for questioning his rabbi’s knowledge of God, the boy flees to the synagogue roof and finds a creative way to force the whole community to acknowledge his point of view. Themes include bigotry vs. tolerance, irreverence, search for truth, hypocrisy.
In this story by
With over 100 to choose from, it was hard to decide where to start with the short stories of Bengali writer
Sometimes famous stories of the past, like this one by
The major theme of this coming of age story by
Major themes of this story by Nyi Pu Lay are tradition (realistically portraying aspects of a working-class Mandalay wedding), and caring and respect for the aged at both a family and community level. The groom’s father is seriously ill and his son, his new wife, and others (including the grumpy owner of the only TV in the neighborhood) go to great lengths to ensure that he has an enjoyable day. Other themes include family, friendship, community, and the wonder of adults and children alike experiencing “modern” technology for the first time (in this case a car ride and watching TV).
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