In the popular legend of St. George and the Dragon, a courageous soldier rescues a princess chosen as a tribute (and next meal) for a marauding dragon. This witty, light-hearted tale from Kenneth Grahame parodies this legend. However, there is no princess and the dragon in question is friendly, cultured and, as he admits himself, lazy. The major theme is that the best way to resolve a problem is to sit down and talk about it. Other themes: friendship, daring to be “different” (Boy and dragon); judging by appearances, bloodsports (the villagers); maintaining face/reputation, compassion (St. George). More…
Odour of Chrysanthemums
D. H. Lawrence’s Odour of Chrysanthemums begins with an introduction to a woman living in a coal-mining village who feels trapped in an unhappy world of her husband’s making. Although her father is working-class (an engine-driver), her speech and behavior suggest that she aspires to a better life. The accidental death of her husband (a miner) triggers an epiphany in which she realizes that they never really knew each other, and that their problems were equally of her own making. The main theme is superficial (physical) attraction vs. love. Other themes: industrialization, social class, sex roles, isolation, mother-child connections, death. More…
My Jockey
Today we have what is probably the best-known (and shortest!) story of Lucia Berlin. Although not much more than a snippet, it is a wonderful example of the descriptive and emotive power of her writing. Set in a hospital, the protagonist is an emergency room nurse who finds “connection” in the broken bodies and needs of the real men who come into her care. Her favorites (the most broken) are the jockeys, and her favorite among these is Muñoz whose pain results in her comforting and cradling him like a baby. Themes: loneliness, human connection, empathy, motherhood. More…
The Japanese Quince
The message of this story by John Galsworthy can be summarized in the English idiom “stop and smell the roses”. The protagonist and his doppelganger neighbor are so caught up in their daily routines that they not only fail to notice the beauty around them, but also lead solitary, unfulfilled lives alienated from those outside their immediate circle. The titular quince, with its refreshing fragrance and colorful blossoms, symbolizes rebirth. The blackbird’s song represents the potential joy of life that eludes them. Themes: the beauty of nature, work/life balance, alienation, lack of fulfillment/inner emptiness, appearance, social anxiety. More…
Father Against Mother
Brazil was the last country in the Western world to abolish slavery. Major themes of this story by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis are the brutality of slavery and the ethical dilemma of the protagonist (a destitute slave catcher whose wife has just had a baby) in returning a pregnant escaped slave to potentially cruel punishment. Literary devices used include understatement (pursuing slaves was … not a very noble profession), sarcasm (They would sometimes be beaten, and not all of them liked being beaten.) and metaphor (That unripe fruit entered the world amid the cries and moans of the mother…). More…