The All-American Slurp

The All-American Slurp: Short story by Lensey NamiokaThe major themes of this story by Lensey Namioka are: 1) the innate desire of most people (especially the young) to “fit in” with the community in which they find themselves; and 2) the need to understand and accept cultural differences when they appear. Said to be based on real experiences from the author’s early life in America, the story makes these points in a light-hearted way. Its main message is expressed cryptically in the very last line: All Americans slurp. This suggests that if we put aside cultural differences, we are all the same inside.

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The Subliminal Man

The Subliminal Man: Short story by J. G. BallardThis 1963 story from J. G. Ballard envisions a dystopian future where people’s lives are conditioned by subliminal messages disseminated through advertising billboards and the mass media. The hidden messages, which appear to be officially sanctioned ‘to stimulate the economy’, compel people to buy things they don’t need or replace perfectly good recent purchases. Ominously, the major products involved are linked to powerful monopolies. The story is a biting satire of (then) modern advertising and its contribution to the post-war consumerism and rising household debt levels of the 1950s. Themes: conspiracy, technology, advertising, consumerism, debt, dehumanization (loss of free will).

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Things

Things: Short story by Sinclair LewisThis story by Sinclair Lewis is a biting satire highlighting one of his most prominent themes… the negative effects of capitalism and materialism in the United States. A young woman’s life is turned upside down when her father becomes instantly rich, buys a mansion, and fills it with expensive “things”. The family enters a new social circle, and she finds herself increasingly alienated from the working-class man who was her constant childhood companion. Over time, their mansion and possessions become a metaphorical prison. Themes include materialism and the pursuit of wealth, ostentation, social status, class consciousness.

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Tiny, Smiling Daddy

Tiny, Smiling Daddy: Short story by Mary GaitskillMary 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.

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A Night in the Life of the Mayor

A Night in the Life of the Mayor: Short story by Manoj DasThis humorous story by Manoj Das takes a satirical swipe at the abuse of power and narcissism of Indian officials. A mayor belittles his old professor for complaining about a stray cow that chewed up his granddaughter’s psychology notebooks. Karma strikes when that same cow runs off with the mayor’s half-eaten clothes and car keys as he is taking a dip in a secluded part of a river. He experiences an epiphany as he floats down the river, lying naked in a boat, after people arrive and start searching for him. Themes include ambition, power, pride, narcissism, self-discovery, redemption, regret.

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The Man with the Rose

The Man with the Rose: Short story by Manuel RojasIn this story by Manuel Rojas, an evangelical priest is predictably dismissive when a man says he has “black magical” powers. The man begs to be put to the test, claiming that, if locked in a room for an hour, he can retrieve any distant object the priest nominates. The priest’s orderly view of the universe is shattered; not only when the man hands him a unique rose he requested from a Santiago convent, but also by what he saw when he unlocked the door and crept into the room twenty-five minutes early. Themes include religion, disbelief, disillusionment, the supernatural.

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Absit

Absit: Short story by Angélica GorodischerThis unsettling story by Angélica Gorodischer begins with one of a parent’s worst fears: a child molester sees a young girl playing alone in her garden and begins to talk to her. The six or seven-year old in the story knows the rules (don’t talk to strangers!), but the smooth-talking man appears to have little difficulty in winning her confidence. Fortunately, just as it seems he will have his way with her, she manages to turn the tables and exact a cruel and fitting punishment. Themes include pedophilia, temptation, crime and punishment, justice, redemption.

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A Fish Story

A Fish Story: Australian folktale from Andrew LangAlthough this story was described as an “Australian” folktale when published in 1910, Australia is too young a nation to have folktales of its own. This is an adaption of an Australian aboriginal myth. Like those of many ancient cultures, it tries to explain the meaning of every-day things: in this case, how fish got into rivers and why rivers always feel warmer if you swim in them on a cold day. According to the story, fish used to live and hunt on the land and only came to live underwater because of an accident lighting a fire.

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Miss Brill

Miss Brill: Short story by Katherine MansfieldKatherine Mansfield’s Miss Brill is a lonely middle-aged woman for whom the highlight of the week is a Sunday visit to a city park. She occupies herself by eavesdropping on strangers who share her “special” bench, listening to the brass band, and people watching. On this day, she is wearing a favorite fur stole (scarf) and imagines that the park is a huge theatre performance in which she is a central character. The dream is shattered and her day ruined when she overhears some unkind words from her imaginary heroes. Themes: reclusiveness, loneliness, habit, aging, fantasy vs. reality, disillusionment, retreat.

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Twenty Minutes

Twenty Minutes: Short story by James SalterThere is a saying that your life flashes before your eyes in the moments before you die. In this James Salter story, the protagonist has twenty minutes to think about it. A woman riding a horse in the countryside is paralyzed in a fall. She estimates that she will die from her injuries if help doesn’t arrive within twenty minutes. As the minutes tick by, she recalls recent events in her life. Sadly, the picture they paint is not a very happy one. The central theme is, of course, death. Other themes: family estrangement, marriage, unfaithfulness, loneliness, desperation, unfulfilled dreams.

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