Featured Stories

Amnesty

Amnesty: Short story by Nadine GordimerA major theme of this story by Nadine Gordimer, and the reason it is still relevant today, is the need for grass roots involvement in the struggle for justice. A young South African woman whose unionist husband is imprisoned for five years comes to appreciate the need for people at all levels to join hands in resisting oppression. Although the exploitation of poorly educated indigenous laborers depicted in the story has greatly diminished, injustice in many other forms is still rampant throughout the world. Other themes: racism, the right to protest, the importance of learning, love, loneliness, dedication, change.

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I Go Along

I Go Along: Short story by Richard PeckA major theme of this story by Richard Peck is the benefit of occasionally stepping out of one’s comfort zone. When junior high schooler Gene “goes along” to a poetry recital with students from a higher English class, he doesn’t “go along” with the students in his own class who ignore the opportunity. Although it isn’t clear whether Gene gains an appreciation for poetry, he is lucky enough to sit with, and starts to “get along” with, the hottest girl in his grade. Other themes include independence vs. conformity to peer pressure, and friendship.

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Sorrow-Acre

Sorrow-Acre: Short story by Isak Dinesen (aka Karen Blixen)This story by Isak Dinesen (aka Karen Blixen) has an “overall” plot, a “subordinate” plot, and an “incomplete” plot. The overall plot considers how moves towards democracy elsewhere in Europe might affect late eighteenth-century Danish society. The subordinate plot (the tragic story of a mother given a near-impossible task to save her son) illustrates why change is necessary, and the difficulty the ruling class will have in adjusting to it. The incomplete plot (see below) foreshadows a possible affair between the protagonist and his seventeen-year-old love-starved aunt. Themes: culture and tradition, birthright, duty, feudalism vs. democracy, injustice, motherhood, suffering.

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The Tell-Tale Heart

The Tell-tale Heart: Short story by Edgar Allan PoeIn this Gothic horror story by Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator describes how cleverly he or she has planned and carried out the murder of an old man. The only reason given is fear of what is described as the old man’s ‘vulture eye’. The narrator’s purpose in telling the story is to convince the audience that he or she is not mad. There are a number of ironic aspects to the story, perhaps the greatest being that in trying to prove his or her sanity, the narrator clearly demonstrates the opposite. Themes: mental illness, fear, time, guilt vs. innocence.

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The Train from Rhodesia

The Train from Rhodesia: Short story by Nadine GordimerIn this Nadine Gordimer story, poverty-stricken villagers hawking food and local crafts swarm an African passenger train during its short stop at an isolated station. A young passenger admires a beautifully carved lion offered by a frail old man, but rejects it as being too expensive. She becomes upset when her husband later presents it to her, proudly announcing that he paid less than half the asking price. Although clearly outraged by his pleasure in humiliating the old man, her anger may imply other problems in their relationship. Themes: racial inequality, wealth and poverty, greed, exploitation, shame, identity and independence.

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Ckeckouts

Checkouts: Short story by Cynthia RylantThis story by Cynthia Rylant deals with the themes of loneliness, puppy love and lost opportunity. A teenage girl is lonely after her parents move to a new city. Her only joy is shopping for the family groceries. This helps the girl take her mind off problems and think more clearly. At the supermarket the girl finds herself strongly attracted to a bag boy operating one of the checkouts. The boy is also strongly attracted to her. Fast forward to the end of the story, and both are with another partner.

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Homecoming

Homecoming: Short story by Carlos BulosanThis story by Carlos Bulosan highlights a devastating side-effect of the mass immigration of Filipino men and boys to America in the first half of last Century. In the story, a young man who had immigrated at fifteen returns home after twelve years. Following a tearful reunion, he is devastated to learn that the family is destitute. His father is dead, his mother too frail to get around, and one of his sisters has had to prostitute herself. Even worse, there is nothing he can do to help! Themes include failure, reunion, poverty, desperation, despair, shame.

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The Final Problem / Empty House

The Final Problem / Empty House: Short stories by Arthur Conan DoyleToday we have two stories by Arthur Conan Doyle dealing with the “death” and “rebirth” of Sherlock Holmes. In The Final Problem, Holmes has his first and last encounter with master criminal and his intellectual equal, Professor James Moriarty. After a pursuit across Europe, the pair are believed to have perished when they tumbled off the Reichenbach Falls during a struggle. In the Adventure of the Empty House, Holmes miraculously returns to bring three remaining members of Moriarty’s criminal network to justice. In capturing the first, he solves an important murder investigation. Themes include justice, pursuit, deception, courage, sacrifice, death.

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