A Clean Well-Lighted Place

A Clean Well-lighted Place: Short story by Ernest HemingwayThis story by Ernest Hemingway takes place in a cafe. Two waiters (one young, the other middle-aged) talk about an old man sitting alone at one of the tables. A line from each waiter exemplifies three major themes. From the young waiter: I wouldn’t want to be that old. An old man is a nasty thing. (attitudes towards the aged). From the older waiter: It [life] was all a nothing and a man was a nothing too. (emptiness and despair). Other themes include aging and death, gender stereotyping, and the fact that money doesn’t buy happiness.

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Dante and the Lobster

Dante and the Lobster: Short story by Samuel BecketAs suggested in the title, this early story by Samuel Beckett contains several allusions to Dante’s Divine Comedy. Unfortunately, some of its nuances will be lost on readers unfamiliar with this work. Hidden among the allusions is an absurdist comedy spanning an afternoon in the life of a solitary, eccentric student having trouble with his studies. He is selfish and conceited, fanatical about unimportant things (such as making the perfect toasted sandwich), and apathetic towards things that matter (his studies, politeness, compassion.) Themes include sloth, frustration, the meaningless and futility of life, suffering and death.

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In the Great Walled Country

In the Great Walled Country: Short story by R M AldenThis Christmas story by R. M. Alden tells of a strange land of ice and snow where children never grow up. Being so close to the North Pole, Santa Claus doesn’t deliver presents to people’s houses. He hangs them on trees in a forest. On Christmas Eve, everyone goes out and chooses gifts to give to their family and friends. One year, a stranger visits and convinces the child king that it would be better to change the law so that people collected presents for themselves rather than others. The result was not what he expected.

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Monster

Monster: Short story by Catherine LimThe titular Monster in this story by Catherine Lim is an old, rickety, bug-infested bed, treasured by a frail woman in her seventies and despised by her daughter-in-law. Set in highly competitive Singapore, the other monster in the house is generational conflict arising from a fundamental cultural change: a growing lack of respect, understanding and compassion for the aged. Ironically, when the daughter-in-law is finally in a position to destroy the much-hated bed, she learns it may be worth a lot of money! Themes include generational conflict, cultural change (less respect for the aged), sentimentality, materialism, social class.

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The Legend of Nai Raeng

The Legend of Nai Raeng: Thai folktaleThis folktale from Southern Thailand is about a man who was so big when he was born that his parents named him Nai Raeng (in Thai ‘raeng’ means strength, energy or power). The boy eats so much that his poor parents cannot feed him. They get him a job as a sailor, but the captain also cannot feed him. As Nai Raeng grows, he proves to be so wise that he gets a high government job. He is also very honourable, and one day must order that his own head be cut off and placed above a buried treasure.

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The Drowned Giant

The Drowned Giant: Short story by J. G. BallardIn this story by J. G. Ballard, the body of a giant man is dehumanized because of its otherworldly size. Left to rot on a beach, it first becomes a tourist attraction and later a source of exploitation as various body parts are taken for commercial purposes or as souvenirs. The narrator, who is clearly disturbed by the disrespectful way the body is treated, perceives it as having a transcendent, Homeric quality. This begs a fascinating question: What does it take to be considered human? Themes include humanity, identity, mortality, curiosity, fear (of a potentially superior race), fame, exploitation.

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The Blue Umbrella

The Blue Umbrella: Short story by Ruskin BondIn this story by Ruskin Bond, a poor girl from the Himalayan foothills trades her tiger’s-claw lucky charm for a magnificent, though impractical silk umbrella. She is the envy of her village, and vainly parades it everywhere she goes. The village teashop owner covets the umbrella, and tries to acquire it by fair means and foul. Ultimately, the girl and shop owner realize their mutual folly. The girl gives him the umbrella, which he shares with the whole village, and she is greatly rewarded for her kindness. Themes include innocence, beauty, vanity, envy, materialism and greed, compassion, kindness and generosity.

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The Magic Sweet Shop

The Magic Sweet Shop: Children's story by Enid BlytonIn this story by Enid Blyton, two children out playing in the woods follow a path they had not seen before. It leads to a small village in which there is a strange candy shop. They each buy five different colored sweets with unusual names: a Giant-sweet, Dwarf-sweet, Invisible-sweet, Spiky-sweet and Home-again-sweet. They then have some exciting adventures in which the candy they bought saves the day. As might be expected, the Home-again-sweet leads them home. When they take their mother to the path that led them to the village, they find that it is no longer there.

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