Like many John Cheever stories, the major themes of The Enormous Radio are appearances vs. reality and the myth of urban bliss. Other themes include eavesdropping, obsession, secrecy, smugness, self-delusion and hypocrisy. A seemingly contented couple’s life changes when a malfunctioning radio begins to pick up conversations from people in surrounding apartments. The woman becomes obsessed with listening in and, after learning her neighbors’ secrets about affairs, marital and financial problems, etc., begins to look down on them. This feeling of superiority is soon dashed when her husband points out some unsavory aspects of her own past. More…
Exchanging Glances
This autobiographical story by Christa Wolf provides a unique perspective on the final days of World War II, told from the viewpoint of a middle-aged German woman looking back on her time as a teenager fleeing the Russians with her family. Part of a column of refugees, she recounts being strafed by American fighter planes, learning of Hitler’s death, encountering a retreating Wehrmacht unit, and coming face-to-face with liberated concentration camp survivors. Ironically, some confronting experiences on reaching the “safety” of American lines leave her in tears. Themes: war, the vagaries of memory/selective amnesia, changing perspectives, dislocation, loss, death. More…
Bluebeard
As in real life, many folktales have protagonists who attain riches and/or happiness by questionable means. Bluebeard, Charles Perrault’s serial killing nobleman, obviously deserves his fate. However, it is also hard to see how his last wife, who first rejected him based on his looks, seemingly only married him for his riches, and then betrayed his generosity and trust by entering a forbidden room, deserves a “happily ever after” future. Themes include judging by appearances, greed, vanity, betrayal of trust and justice. One question remains: if the beard made women and girls run away, why didn’t Bluebeard shave it off? More…
Blood-Burning Moon
Set in the American South during the days of enforced segregation, this story by Jean Toomer involves a love triangle between Louisa, an attractive young African-American woman and two men. Bob (the entitled son a white planter whose slaves were freed and landholdings reduced after the Civil War) picks a fight with his adversary Tom (a poor, quick-tempered black labourer). When Bob pulls a knife, Tom does likewise and kills him. In keeping with the times, Tom is gruesomely executed by a white vigilante mob. Themes: love vs. lust, racism/white supremacy, identity, violence, vigilante justice. More…
The Bound Man
This Kafkaesque story by Ilse Aichinger opens with a man waking up to find himself bleeding and bound from head to toe. The ropes are loose enough to allow some movement, but cannot be untied. With difficulty, he manages to stand and “walk” to a nearby village where a circus owner hires him as a performer. He not only becomes famous, but insists on wearing the same bonds night and day for the whole season. In an ambiguous conclusion, an act of compassion ends his career. Themes include insecurity, turning adversity into opportunity, freedom vs. restriction, loneliness, self-discovery, compassion. More…