In this moving story by Stefan Zweig, a playboy writer receives a letter from a lovesick, dying woman. She has worshipped him all her life, they have had two brief dalliances, and she has borne his son. Yet he has no idea who she is! Until their son was born, he was the sole focus of her life; for him, she didn’t exist. Readers are left with a question. If she loved him so much, why send a letter that may haunt him for the rest of his days? Themes: philandering, obsessive love, sacrifice, passion, suffering, confession, death. More…
Archives
The Hell Screen
In Ryūnosuke Akutagawa‘s re-working of this 13th century Japanese tale, a cold-hearted, conceited artist considered to be “the greatest in the land” insists upon personally experiencing the scenes he creates. When commissioned to paint a folding screen with a scene from Hell, he is able to complete all but the central image of a beautiful woman burning alive in a nobleman’s carriage. He asks for help from his Feudal Lord, who agrees to stage the event for him. As the artist watches, his emotions range from horror to ecstasy. Themes: hubris, inhumanity, obsession, inspiration in art, innocence, perception of truth. More…
And of Clay Are We Created
This confronting story from Isabel Allende is based on the real life plight of Omayra Sánchez, killed in a volcanic eruption in 1985. It highlights the confusion and suffering that often accompanies natural disasters, and the human and psychological tolls on both victims and responders. The irony of the story is that despite the massive resources employed by news agencies to cover the incident, they were unable to locate and bring in a pump to save the girl. Themes include man against nature, compassion, courage, faith/acceptance of fate, the healing effect of facing and sharing past tragedies. More…
The Faith Cure Man
In this story from Paul Dunbar, a faith healer provides the last hope for a desperate woman who has been told that medical science can do nothing more for her seriously ill daughter. Despite the narrator’s skepticism, the tragic ending neither proves nor disproves the validity of faith healing. Although the mother certainly has the “faith”, the poor child is too young and/or sick to understand or even care about what is happening around her. The major theme of the story is that distraught people are easy prey to those offering false hope. Other themes: love, desperation, hope, faith, death. More…
Sorrow-Acre
This story by Isak Dinesen (aka Karen Blixen) has an “overall” plot, a “subordinate” plot, and an “incomplete” plot. The overall plot considers how moves towards democracy elsewhere in Europe might affect late eighteenth-century Danish society. The subordinate plot (the tragic story of a mother given a near-impossible task to save her son) illustrates why change is necessary, and the difficulty the ruling class will have in adjusting to it. The incomplete plot (see below) foreshadows a possible affair between the protagonist and his seventeen-year-old love-starved aunt. Themes: culture and tradition, birthright, duty, feudalism vs. democracy, injustice, motherhood, suffering. More…
The Lagoon
The major message of this acclaimed story from Joseph Conrad is that you can’t escape reality: there is no place where death is forgotten — where death is unknown. Arsat, a powerful warrior, risks all for the love of a royal slave girl. While making their escape, he abandons his devoted brother as he is being attacked by pursuers. Some time later, the woman dies of fever in their lagoon-side jungle hideaway. Experiencing remorse over both deaths, he decides that the only path to redemption is (some would say unjustified) retribution. Themes: brotherly love, romantic obsession, courage, betrayal, guilt, isolation, death. More…
Children of the Sea
This story from Edwidge Danticat highlights the plight of refugees the world over who have been (and unfortunately still are) forced to flee their countries for speaking up about illegitimate and/or oppressive governments. The tragic, haunting tale comprises alternating journal entries by a student activist forced to flee Haiti by sea during the notorious Duvalier regime of the late 1950s, and the young woman he leaves behind. As his boat leaks, the girl’s family suffers and Haiti bleeds. Ironically, life on the boat proves almost as savage as on land. Themes: totalitarianism (violence, injustice, human rights abuse), love, sacrifice, death. More…
Young Archimedes
This tragic story from Aldous Huxley is about an English family renting a secluded Italian villa. When their young son is befriended by Guido, the son of a farm-worker, his father notices that in addition to being musically gifted, Guido has the makings of a math prodigy. While the family are holidaying in the Swiss Alps the childless, status-seeking wife of their landlord tricks Guido’s father into letting her take the boy away for musical instruction. The selfish woman tells Guido a terrible lie, with tragic results. Themes: greed, genius, family, class, social status, manipulation, abandonment, suicide. More…
The Scarlet Ibis
This tragic story from James Hurst contrasts the innocent outlook of a physically challenged boy with the pride and cruelty of his older brother. It is as if the older boy has two younger brothers: the imaginative storyteller that he clearly loves, and the disabled boy he is ashamed to be associated with. In an effort to mould Doodle to meet his expectations, he pushes the poor lad to a point where his heart can no longer bear the strain. Themes: the beauty and power of nature, acceptance vs. desire to change others, love vs. shame, cruelty, death, regret. More…