Naming the Names

Naming the Names: Short story by Anne DevlinSet during the Irish Troubles, the major themes of his story by Anne Devlin are love, loyalty and betrayal. Other themes include identity, the cyclical nature of violence, urban change/devastation, taking responsibility for one’s actions, and the humanization of terrorism. The plot is non-linear, with regular flashbacks to earlier times. An insecure woman who has been indoctrinated in the Republican cause since childhood joins the IRA. She plays a minor role until a decision is made to target a prominent British official, and finds herself perfectly placed to lure his son (who is also her lover!) into a deadly trap.

Continue ReadingNaming the Names

In Another Country

In Another Country: Short story by Ernest HemingwaySet during World War 1, the major theme of his story by Ernest Hemingway is courage: courage to face an enemy in war, and courage to try to rebuild one’s life after being badly injured or suffering a major setback. A wounded American, thought to be Hemingway’s alter ego Nick Adams, visits a Milan hospital every day for exercises to rehabilitate a wounded knee. He shares his fears about returning to the front, and his relationship and experiences with five Italian soldiers undergoing treatment. Other themes: dealing with disability and loss, fear of death, camaraderie, dignity vs. bravado, alienation, loneliness.

Continue ReadingIn Another Country

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge: Short story by Ambrose BierceThis Ambrose Bierce story contains some of the best descriptive language in American literature… so much so that most people will need to read the passage at least twice in order to properly appreciate it. All I can say about the plot without spoiling the experience for those who haven’t read it is that the surprise ending usually sticks in reader’s minds for some time. The major themes: sense of duty; love and sacrifice; the brutality of war; confronting death; near-death experiences; and time (the length of a moment) as reflected in the personification metaphor time stood still.

Continue ReadingAn Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

The Drummer Boy of Shiloh

The Drummer Boy of Shiloh: Short story by Ray BradburyThis story by Ray Bradbury packs a lot of raw emotion, even though the “action” is limited to a single conversation that takes place over the course of no more than half an hour. A fourteen-year-old drummer boy who must march into battle with no gun or means of protecting himself is a bundle of nerves on the night before his first encounter with the enemy. An inspirational talk with his commanding general teaches him that his drum may be one of the most effective weapons in the army. Themes include isolation and loneliness, empathy, duty, fear, courage, death, honor.

Continue ReadingThe Drummer Boy of Shiloh

Luck

Luck: Short story by Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain)As the name implies, the major theme of Luck by Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) is just that — Luck! Its main message is that good fortune can result in the most unlikely people achieving greatness. Other themes include envy and injustice. The clergyman envies Lieutenant General Lord Arthur Scoresby, V.C., K.C.B., etc. for his successes in life… especially on the battlefield where, in reality, he didn’t seem to know back from forwards and right from left. There is also a sense of injustice in that the General appears to show no appreciation for the clergyman’s role in his success.

Continue ReadingLuck

Guests of the Nation

Guests of the Nation: Short story by Frank O'ConnorThis story by Frank O’Connor takes place during, or possibly shortly after, the Irish War of Independence of 1919-1921. Two young Irishmen become friends with two English ‘prisoners’ they are guarding. That is until a cold-hearted officer orders them to take part in the execution of the two men. As one notes at the end of the story: And anything that happened to me afterwards, I never felt the same about again. Themes: friendship, religion vs. atheism, choices and consequences, aspects of war (duty vs. morality, brutality, the humanity of enemy combatants, possible long-term psychological effects).

Continue ReadingGuests of the Nation

Civil Peace

Civil Peace: Short story by Chinua AchebeOn the surface, Chinua Achebe’s Civil Peace appears to be a light-hearted take on the challenges faced by a family in the aftermath of the Nigerian Civil War. In reality, it deals with the much darker themes of corruption, devastation and lawlessness, as well as the positive themes of being thankful for what you have, finding opportunity in adversity, hard work, family unity, and the resilience of the human spirit in times of extreme difficulty. Another theme, common in the third-world and reflected in the frequently repeated Nothing puzzels God!, is that everything that happens is part of God’s plan.

Continue ReadingCivil Peace

Yellow Moepels

Yellow Moepels: Short story by Herman BosmanIn this story by Herman Bosman, a young a young farmer riding off to fight the British during the short First Boer War promises the girl he is engaged to that he will be home when the moepel fruit are ripe (yellow). The girl visits a native witch-doctor who tells her the same thing. We learned earlier in the story that witch-doctors can only tell you the things that don’t matter in your life. There is something more important in the girl’s future that the witch-doctor neglected to divulge. Themes: love, superstition, war, “bravery”, memory, racism.

Continue ReadingYellow Moepels