Mary Gaitskill doesn’t pull punches. This is one of those rare stories where you (almost) feel sympathy for a protagonist who is a real jerk. A father reflects on the past after learning that his daughter has written a magazine article about their relationship following her “coming out” as lesbian. Any sympathy stems from the fact that there are two sides to his character: the angry, self-absorbed homophobe who threw his daughter out of the house; and the confused, reclusive, emotionally troubled man struggling to face his failings as a father. Themes: father-daughter relationships, teenage rebellion, sexual identity, acceptance, disconnection. More…
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
This fictional account of life in a former Soviet Gulag (forced labor camp) is drawn from author Alexandr Solzhenitsyn’s personal experience as a prisoner under the Stalin regime. Its major theme is survival in a system designed to break inmates through a combination of harsh conditions, brutality and absurd camp rules. Some survive with dignity, others through theft, scavenging, and snitching on fellow prisoners. The weak and those who question the system don’t survive. Other themes include injustice, power and authority, corruption, cruelty, suffering, endurance, pride, camaraderie, competition, faith, memories and time. More…
The Age of Lead
In this story by Margaret Atwood, a frozen 150-year-old body buried in the permafrost provides a lesson for the living. The story uses the solution to mystery cause of death of members of the ill-fated Franklin Expedition to highlight the dangers of consumerism and modern technology such as soil and water pollution, toxic waste and acid rain. The issues are brought home in the parallel story involving the the protagonist’s frustrating relationship with her eccentric, possibly gay lifetime friend who dies of an unknown viral infection. Themes include tragedy, side effects of consumerism and technology, individuality, friendship/unfulfilled love. More…
Now That April’s Here
This story by Morley Callaghan is a bitter-sweet satire of the “lost generation”, a group of American expatriate writers living in Paris during the 1920s. Two men, obviously lovers, travel to France because America had nothing to offer them. One has a small income, the other is an aspiring writer. They appear to thrive in the local café society, constantly snickering over people they meet. All is well until they offer shared accommodation to a promiscuous young woman who shares her pleasures with them in return. Themes include disenchantment, search for fulfillment, sexuality, dependence, hedonism, jealousy, abandonment. More…
The Fisherman and His Wife
It’s time for another folktale. This one is about dissatisfaction and greed. A poor fisherman catches an enchanted fish and sets it free. When he tells his wife, she is angry that he did not demand a wish in return. She sends him to ask the fish for a nicer house. When the fish grants this, the wife becomes greedy. She sends her husband back several times to ask for bigger and bigger things. Her final wish is so outrageous that the fish either will not or cannot grant it. The fisherman is no doubt happy with what happens next. More…