This Irish folktale is about a boy who likes to play tricks on people and wants nothing more than to grow up to be a thief. His mother warns him that if he does become a thief he will be caught one day and hang from the Bridge of Dublin. The boy does some rather terrible things on the way to becoming the most famous thief in the country. Luckily, there is still justice in some folktales and the Shifty Lad is soon lying dead under the Bridge of Dublin… but not for the reason his mother expected. More…
The Awful Fate of Melpomenus Jones
This story by Stephen Leacock takes a sarcastic look at the themes of shyness and polite social conventions. Many readers mistakenly associate Melpomenus’s refusal to give a false reason to leave the house with his being a clergyman. Not so! In the introduction we are told the young curate was too modest (shy) to tell a lie. His downfall is because of shyness, not honesty. However, the absurd outcome is as much the over-polite hosts’ fault as it is Melpomenus’s. If anyone was responsible for his spirit rushing from the house like a hunted cat, it was them. More…
The Cow of the Barricades
This story from Raja Rao takes place during India’s struggle for independence from British rule. It highlights two major aspects of the conflict: the people’s desire for self-government, and the division within the people between those who supported Gandhi’s directive of passive resistance and those who advocated violent confrontation. The symbol of Gandhian resolution is a revered cow (a holy animal in Hindu culture) which, like many such advocates over the years, is martyred for the cause after leading a crowd of peaceful protesters to barricades as fighting is about to begin. Themes: independence, faith, nonviolent resolution of conflict. More…
The Falling Girl
The meaning of this thought-provoking story by Dino Buzzati is reflected in both the building and the girl. The skyscraper is a metaphor for society: the idle rich party at the “top”, as the working class scurry about at the bottom. The story represents an attractive young woman’s journey from the glamor and excitement of the “high life” to the loneliness, frailty and fears of old age. In the sad conclusion, she has no one to mourn her (hear the “thud”) when she hits the ground. Themes include social class, consumerism, envy, lack of fulfilment, ageing, alienation and loneliness. More…
The Way It Felt to Be Falling
The major theme of this story by Kim Edwards is fear. For the nineteen-year-old-protagonist working to save money for college, the principal fear is losing her mind like her father. Her life revolves around work, helping her overwrought mother with her home cake-decorating business, and hanging out with her mentally unstable boyfriend. When the boyfriend talks her into going skydiving, she faces an even greater fear: death. Her exhilaration over confronting this fear and making the jump help displace her other fears and turn her life around. Other themes include responsibility, loneliness, mental illness, substance abuse, shame, freedom. More…