Snow

Snow: Short story by Alice AdamsAlthough this Alice Adams story has little action, a lot is achieved. A middle-aged man initially questions his decision to create a “diversion” for his first meeting with his daughter’s lesbian lover in the form of a weekend skiing trip with his girlfriend. Talking in their isolated cabin that night, the three women reveal things about themselves that not only bring the man closer to his daughter and girlfriend, but also help him understand his initial feelings (jealousy) toward his daughter’s partner. Themes include fatherhood, sexuality, deception, sexual assault, teenage pregnancy, jealousy, love.

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The Imp of the Perverse

The Imp of the Perverse: Short story by Edgar Allan PoeLike two of our earlier Edgar Allan Poe tales (The Back Cat and The Tell-Tale Heart), this story involves an unreliable, unhinged narrator facing execution for murder trying to account for his crime. He blames his actions on an agent he claims to be in all of us called the “Imp of the Perverse”. The Imp, he argues, is an urge that drives people to do things they shouldn’t for the simple reason that they know it to be wrong. Ironically, the Imp that drove him to murder also drove him to confess. Themes include perverseness, obsession, madness, self-destruction.

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The Schreuderspitze

The Schreuderspitzee: Short story by Mark HelprinIn this story by Mark Helprin, a grieving German photographer finds a unique way of getting over the accidental death of his wife and son. Two years after the accident, he disappears without trace. Leaving his lodgings and photographic equipment behind, he relocates to a small, remote town in the Alps. There, he decides to become a mountain climber and ascend the dangerous Schreuderspitze peak alone. He trains hard, teaches himself how to climb from books, buys the necessary equipment, and “succeeds” in a most unusual way. Themes include loss, grief, escape, isolation, a quest, dreams vs. reality, renewal.

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Amnesty

Amnesty: Short story by Jose Dalisay Jr.In this story by Jose Dalisay Jr., a chance encounter on a bus contrasts the directions taken by two student revolutionaries during the Philippine’s Marcos dictatorship. One stayed true to the cause and has just been released from prison under a general amnesty declared by the incoming government. After six years in jail, she appears physically broken but emotionally strong. The other chose “survival”, privately supporting the cause but publically embracing and prospering under the corrupt system. He fears for his comfortable lifestyle. Themes include oppression, courage and remaining true to a cause, sacrifice, hypocrisy, guilt and regret, hope.

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I Stand Here Ironing

I Stand Here Ironing: Short story by Tillie OlsenIn this story by Tillie Olsen, a woman reviews events that may help a counselor better understand her nineteen-year-old-daughter. In the process, she questions the extent to which she may be responsible for her daughter’s problems. Poor care choices and lack of attention as an infant, and conflict with her younger sister as she grew up, have clearly affected the girl’s emotional development. A key question is what, if anything, could the woman have done differently in a society indifferent to the plight of single mothers. Themes: parenting, mother-daughter relationships, female identity, child cruelty, guilt, acceptance, hope.

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The Sky is Gray

The Sky is Gray: Short story by Ernest J. GainesSet in the American South during the 1940s, this coming of age story by Ernest Gaines features an eight-year-old African-American boy from an impoverished family. Suffering a toothache, his mother takes him so see a dentist. During the trip he experiences the humiliation of segregation, is inspired by a debate in the dentist’s waiting room, stands up for his mother when threatened in a “colored” café, and experiences kindness on the “white” side of town. Following his uncompromising mother’s example, he conducts himself with courage and dignity. Themes: mother-son relationships, pride, racism and segregation, religious acceptance vs. knowledge and questioning.

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When Anklets Tinkle

When Anklets Tinkle: Novelette by Anjana AppachanaIn this story by Anjana Appachana, life changes for a retired, middle-class Indian couple after renting the barsati [rooftop rooms] of their Delhi home to a likeable “Madrasi man” who plays a cruel trick on them. The detached, opinionated husband and his hard-working, under-appreciated wife struggle to deal with a noisy ghost, their visiting, unmarried daughter who defies tradition and asserts her independence and sexuality, and the idiosyncrasies of their long-time servant and his astute, seemingly ever-pregnant wife. Themes include family, ethnic identity, racism, social class, gender roles, tradition, double standards, sexuality, and superstition.

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War

War: Short story by Luigi PirandelloIf you are looking for an action-packed war story, this is not for you. Set in Italy during World War One, this story by Luigi Pirandello is a dialogue-packed discussion among the parents of men who are going or have gone off to war about its impact on their lives. The central themes are patriotism, duty, fear, sacrifice and grief. The climax comes when a man who claimed to be above grief because his son died honorably for his country breaks into tears when forced to confront the fact that the boy really is dead and gone forever.

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Bread of Sacrifice

Bread of Sacrifice: Short story by Samira AzzamSet during the 1947-1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine, this story by Samira Azzam describes a tragic romance between a Palestinian fighter defending the city of Acre and a young nurse who elected to remain after her family had fled. Both are idealistic and prepared to die out of love for their homeland. The girl is shot delivering a basket of bread to the starving men on the soldier’s roof-top barricade. The men face a dilemma… eat something prohibited under Islamic law (a dead dog), or bread soaked in the martyred woman’s blood. Themes include love, patriotism, courage, death.

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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.

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