Featured Stories

Dead End

Dead End: Short story by Rudolfo AnayaThe protagonist of this coming of age story by Rudolfo Anaya faces a difficult decision: to honor a promise made to her dying mother, or risk ending a budding romance with the most sought after boy in school. Whichever choice she makes is likely to lead to a “dead end” of sorts. She comes close to a decision while ‘making out’ with the boy in his car. Fortunately, a childhood memory and plaintive sob from a passing bag lady help clear her mind. Themes: determination, family responsibility, dreams (a better future vs. ‘fitting in’ with the gang), sexuality, life choices

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A Christmas Memory

A Christmas Memory: Short story by Truman CapoteThis sentimental Christmas story from Truman Capote takes readers back to a time when children created their own fun and could safely explore the outdoors alone. The protagonist, a seven-year-old-boy, and his aged but child-like female cousin are best friends; two outsiders who help each other deal with being alone in the world. It is telling that their Christmas fruitcakes are not for neighbors and those who have power/know best (their pious carers), but strangers who either “strike their fancy” or have shown kindness towards them over the years. Themes: nostalgia, Christmas, friendship, innocence, isolation, poverty, coming of age.

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I Could See the Smallest Things

I Could See the Smallest Things: Short story by Raymond CarverThe title of this story by Raymond Carver is somewhat ironic. When protagonist Nancy looks out her bedroom window, she can see the smallest of things. What she can’t see or won’t acknowledge are the big things in her life that need attention. Concern about her open gate and multiple references to fences symbolize three important themes: insecurity, alienation, and fear of the outside world and/or change. Neighbor Sam’s garden pests represent another: inertia (sluggishness). Sam has moved on from his problems in life; Nancy and husband Cliff have not. Other themes: alcohol abuse, regret, emptiness and lack of fulfilment.

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The Eskimo Connection

The Eskimo Connection: Short story by Hisaye YamamotoThe “connection” in this story by Hisaye Yamamoto is a correspondence relationship between a widowed Japanese-American poet living in California and a young Eskimo man jailed in a federal penitentiary. Although initially reluctant to write due in part to differences in age, family situation, culture and social situation, the woman empathises with the young man because of her own experiences in a wartime internment camp. This clouds her judgement, and she naively overlooks hints that he may have a capacity for extreme violence. Themes include loneliness, compassion, matriarchy, family struggle, interethnic bonding, art and writing, violence, imprisonment, religion.

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Mechanopolis

Mechanopolis: Short story by Miguel de UnamunoIn this story by Miguel De Unamuno, a man dying of thirst in a desert is saved when he stumbles upon an oasis in which there is a mysterious train station. He boards a seemingly empty waiting train and is whisked off to a magnificent, deserted, fully functioning city of the future. The city’s machines and infrastructure continue to operate with no apparent human involvement. His curiosity turns to horror when he realizes the machines are sentient and concerned about his psychological and emotional state. Themes include human extinction, the ascendency of sentient machines, loneliness, paranoia, mental instability.

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The Fortune-Teller

The Fortune-Teller: Short story by Joaquim Maria Machado de AssisThis story by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis involves a love triangle between life-long best friends and a woman who is married to one of them. The sceptical lover laughs when the woman consults a fortune-teller for comfort that their relationship will last. Shortly afterwards, he begins to receive anonymous letters claiming that their affair is public knowledge. Ironically, when the husband sends a note asking for an urgent meeting at his house, the frightened lover visits the same fortune-teller for comfort that he is not walking into a trap. Themes include betrayal, adultery, superstition, fate.

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The Storyteller

The Storyteller: Short story by H. H. Munro (aka Saki)This story by Saki satirizes the way many traditional children’s stories had become so “sanitized” during the prudish Victorian period that they lost much of their original appeal. A major theme of the story is pride. The outer or “frame” story highlights the Aunt’s false pride in thinking that a bachelor couldn’t possibly tell a better children’s story than she could. The inner story illustrates the meaning of the English idiom Pride comes before a fall. Other themes include childhood, curiosity, control, “goodness” vs. reality (not all good people/things in life end happily!)

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The Death of a Government Clerk

The Death of a Government Clerk: Short story by Anton ChekhovIn this playful story by Anton Chekhov, a government clerk enjoying a night at the opera is dismayed when an unexpected sneeze lands droplets on the bald head of a civilian General. Although his immediate apology is accepted, the clerk not only makes a nuisance of himself with continued apologies during the performance, but pesters the general over the next two days trying to explain what happened. As the general becomes increasingly angry, the clerk becomes increasingly anxious until the stress gets too much for him. Themes include social class (living in fear), guilt, insecurity, paranoia, anxiety.

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