Lob’s Girl

Lob's Girl: Short story by Joan AikenThe major themes of this story by Joan Aiken are love, loyalty, family values, death and the supernatural. The moment Lob saw five-year-old Sandy on the beach, it was love at first sight. Lob is a dog: a large, bouncy German Shepherd with “a yard of tongue” that he puts to good use smothering Sandy with affection. As with many girl/boy and dog stories, Lob must overcome several difficulties (in this case by walking the length of England twice!) before joining Sandy’s family. A touching aspect of the story is that Lob’s love is so strong that it transcends death.

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The New Food

The New Food: Short story by Stephen LeacockThe climax of this very short story is the gruesome death of an imaginary baby. If you did not know who wrote it, you might attribute the plot to the playful, postmodernist style of an author like Donald Barthelme. In fact, the story was published way back in 1910. It comes from Canadian humorist Stephen Leacock’s first short story collection, Literary Lapses. A fascinating aspect of the story is its modern relevance. Viewed in the context of today’s world, the story is a wonderful satire of heavily processed convenience foods and the contribution they make towards child obesity.

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Christmas Every Day

Christmas Every Day: Short story by W. D. HowellsThis children’s story by W. D. Howells is actually a ‘story within a story’. A demanding daughter insists that her busy father tell her a Christmas story. Perhaps with his daughter in mind, he makes up a tale about a little girl who makes a selfish Christmas wish. She wants it to be Christmas every day so she can get presents and eat Christmas treats all year long. The wish comes true but in so doing causes problems for almost everyone in the world. Although told in an amusing way, you could call this a Christmas horror fairy-tale.

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The Storm / At the ‘Cadian Ball

The Storm: Short story by Kate ChopinKate Chopin’s The Storm is widely considered one of her best stories. As a wild storm rages outside, a farmer’s wife (Calixta) and wealthy plantation-owner who had stopped for shelter (Alcée) engage in wild, stormy sex inside. Although both are married, neither feels guilty about the tryst. Afterwards, Calixta continues family life as normal, though seemingly more contented. Themes: family, passionless marriage, lust. In order to fully understand the characters, it is helpful to read the story’s prequel, At the ‘Cadian Ball. Calixta and Alcée were once infatuated with each other, but class and race differences kept them apart.

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Big Blonde

Big Blonde: Short story by Dorothy ParkerThis rather depressing story from Dorothy Parker exposes the different socioeconomic standing and sexual standards applicable to men and women in 1920s America. The protagonist (Hazel) falls from being a popular plus-size model to a depressed middle-aged alcoholic. The cause of her decline lies in extreme moods that sour relationships with her husband and the other hard-drinking men in her life. Forced into a demeaning series of casual affairs with married men who pay her keep in expectation of sexual services, she sees only one pathway to lasting peace. Themes: body image, vulnerability, sexual exploitation, loss of identity/self-esteem, depression, alcoholism.

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The Sun, the Moon, the Stars

The Sun, the Moon, the Stars: Short story by Junot DíazThis story by Junot Díaz examines transnational relationships between young Hispanic Americans. It focuses on the doomed love affair between a Dominican-American man and his long-suffering Cuban girlfriend and, in doing so, the pressures they face from family and friends. It contrasts the woman’s desire for true love and commitment with the man’s unsuccessful attempts to shake off the stereotype of Latino machismo. The man maintains he is not a bad guy, but doesn’t seem to understand how to treat a woman with consideration and respect. Themes include responsibility in relationships, infidelity, self-deception, national pride, socioeconomic differences.

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The Elevator

The Elevator: Short story by William SleatorIn this story by William Sleator, a timid twelve-year-old who is bullied at school and ridiculed by his father for his weakness faces two fears alone. Always uncomfortable in elevators, his first challenge is the old, creaky three-person elevator in the apartment block they have just moved into. His second fear is a fat woman with a piggish look who stares at him uncomfortably when they meet in the elevator and seems to be stalking him. The latter fear appears justified. Themes include agoraphobia (fear of being trapped), paranoia, facing one’s fears, parental insensitivity.

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Tuesday of the Other June

Tuesday of the Other June: Short story by Norma Fox MazerBullying exists all over the world, and can surface in almost any situation where people gather (school, the playground, work, sport etc.) This story from Norma Fox Mazer addresses the difficult question of whether the best approach for the victim is passive acceptance, assertiveness (standing up for oneself), or fighting back. Here, a mother’s advice is to turn the other cheek, smile at the world, and the world’ll surely smile back, while her daughter dreams of kicking, punching, and biting her (the bully) like a dog. Themes: mother-daughter relationships, bullying, fear, the courage to say “Enough!”

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The Son

The Son: Short story by Horacio QuirogaIn this emotionally charged story by Horacio Quiroga, a thirteen-year-old boy goes hunting in woods near his home. He is well aware of the dangers associated with hunting alone, and competent in the use of a gun. The boy’s father, who is not well and suffers from hallucinations, becomes concerned when he does not return at the agreed time. Fearing the worst, he begins a frantic search, growing increasingly anxious until finding, or thinking he finds, the boy safe and unharmed. Themes include parental love, isolation, nature and survival, trust, anxiety, fear, illusion, death.

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The Jay

The Jay: Short story by Yasunari KawabataThe Jay is one of Yasunari Kawabata’s famous Palm-of-the-Hand Stories. A small bird is causing a fuss because it can’t find a lost chick that has fallen from its nest. A young woman about to enter into an arranged marriage also feels lost. She has never known her birth mother, who her father divorced when she was very young, and lives with her grandmother. Her father and stepmother are coming to visit with the mother of her fiancé. The major theme, exemplified by the bird, is the intensity of motherly love. Other themes: family, marriage, uncertainty, wisdom of the aged.

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