If you are looking for a story with a traditional plot structure, this work of contemporary fiction by Pam Houston is not for you. The story comprises fourteen anecdotes and observations about the life of a thirty-one-year-old woman who comes to San Francisco seeking order and romantic love. Instead, she finds chaos and frustration. Obsessed with finding the right man, she always seems to identify with the wrong ones. The one man in her life she has strong feelings for calls himself the best girlfriend you never had. Themes: order vs. chaos, friendship vs. romantic love, self-esteem, fear, enlightenment, change. More…
The Offshore Pirate
Several F. Scott Fitzgerald stories feature spoiled young women from wealthy families who make a sport of manipulating the men around them. Ardita, the flapper protagonist in this romantic adventure, is one of the rudest, most obnoxious of these. A highlight of the story is Fitzgerald’s powerful descriptive language. A disturbing feature for today’s readers is the use of 1920s social and racial slurs in building Curtis Carlyle’s backstory. Major themes include wealth, egotism, rebellion against authority, escapism, racism and class-consciousness. Despite the closing “illustrative” kiss, one wonders if any relationship with Ardita could have a happily ever after ending. More…
The Law of Life
Jack London‘s The Law of Life tells of the life and impending death of Koskoosh, an old Inuit who was once chief of his tribe but is left by them to die in the snow. Some critics suggest that although Koskoosh is the protagonist, the real hero of the story is an old moose that was too weak to keep up with its herd. Can you see why? Major themes: the inevitability of death (the law of life), survival of the individual (man vs. nature), survival of the tribe (expendability of the old and weak), tradition, courage, acceptance. More…
The Egg
This dark comedy from Sherwood Anderson follows a contented farmhand and his ambitious wife who, after starting a family, decide to pursue the American Dream. In their first venture, a chicken farm, everything that can go wrong does go wrong. More troubles follow when they move closer to town and open a diner. The stressed husband tries to help business by being someone he is not (an entertainer), and ends up “with egg on his face”. The egg, which usually symbolizes the cycle of life, is for them a symbol of the cycle of poverty. Other themes: death, isolation, hope. More…
The Balloon
A huge balloon appears unexpectedly one night, covering 20 city blocks of central Manhattan. Nobody knows why it is there, triggering varying initial responses. After a short time, people begin to accept the balloon simply because it exists. They no longer need to know why. Like the balloon, this story by Donald Barthelme may appear confusing at first because it appears to have no message or theme. Barthelme is satirizing our need to know “why” (find a purpose or meaning) before we can appreciate a creative expression… whether it be a balloon, a work of art, or a story. More…