The Spider Thread

Post category:Quick Reads

The Spider Thread: Short story by Ryunosuke Akutagawa Although initially published in a children’s magazine, this story from Ryūnosuke Akutagawa is equally relevant to adults. Lord Buddha takes pity on a notorious criminal and sends a “life-line” in the form of a spider’s thread to help him escape from hell. For young readers, this is a parable about selfishness and sharing. For older readers, it is also a lesson on compassion. Kandata’s fate was sealed well before he screamed at those following to get off “his” thread. True compassion would have involved finding a way to share the thread with fellow sufferers before he started climbing.

The Flight

Post category:Short Stories

The Flight: Short story by Kamala Das There are two “flights” in this story by Kamala Das. The first occurs after a successful sculptor finds city living and her city models devoid of inspiration. Once dependent on her husband, who is now disabled and dependent on her, she has a new sense of control over her life. They move to a dream house by the sea where, re-inspired, she becomes infatuated with a seventeen-year-old nude model. She once again “takes flight” upon finding her husband having sex with the girl, this time into the sea. Themes include marriage, lust, gender roles, control, art, betrayal.

Guests of the Nation

Post category:Short Stories

Guests of the Nation: Short story by Frank O'Connor This 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).

Like the Sun

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Like the Sun: Short story by R. K. Narayan The major theme of this story by R. K. Narayan is the nature and consequences of truth. After observing that relationships involve tempering truth so as not to hurt one another, the protagonist adds that life is not worth living without telling nothing but the truth at least one day each year. On one of these days, his honesty upsets three people. The first two are needlessly hurt; the third, although unhappy, benefits from his frankness. The story shows that truth is indeed like the sun: most of the time warm and nourishing, but also capable of causing serious damage.

Cathedral

Post category:Short Stories

Cathedral: Short story by Raymond Carver In Raymond Carver’s Cathedral, a troubled, disillusioned man with a cynical view of the world is suddenly confronted by his metaphorical blindness. Ironically, the person who brings about this epiphany is a blind friend of his wife. The story begins with the husband full of sarcasm (Maybe I could take him bowling…) as the couple discuss the blind man’s visit. He has pre-conceived ideas about the blind and is surprised when their visitor doesn’t fit the stereotype. Themes include friendship and marriage, insecurity, alienation and loneliness, creativity and imagination, perception (looking vs. seeing).

Gooseberries

Post category:Short Stories

Gooseberries: Short story by Anton Chekhov For me, the major theme of this philosophical story by Anton Chekhov (the nature of happiness) is conveyed through the symbolization of the plateful of gooseberries. This can be expressed in two seemingly conflicting idioms: one man’s (Ivan’s brother’s) sweet taste of success can leave a sour taste in someone else’s mouth. Put Chekhov’s way, complete happiness shouldn’t exist because it requires contributing to and/or being indifferent to the suffering of others; true fulfillment in life only comes from doing good. Other themes: obsession, greed, ego, class, isolation, mortality, city vs. country life, the beauty of nature.

Kusum

Post category:Quick Reads

Kusum: Short story by Khushwant Singh In this story by Khushwant Singh, a young university student belatedly has a sexual awakening. Overweight and physically unattractive, she has compensated by being a model student and good girl with a capital G. Accepting her lot, she has shunned boys and had no interest in sex. That is until her passions are stirred by an accidental encounter with a cheeky young street hawker who makes an obscene, possibly flirtatious gesture at her. She puts on make-up, looks in her mirror, and an attractive, dark-eyed girl smiles back. Themes include identity, self-image, alienation, self-confidence, physical vs. inner beauty, sexuality.

Everything That Rises Must Converge

Post category:Short Stories

Everything That Rises Must Converge: Short story by Flannery O'Connor Flannery O’connor is known for emphasizing her themes through flawed, often thoroughly dislikeable characters. In this story, she has paired a bigoted mother living in the past with a callous, disrespectful son. The son, a college graduate, considers himself intellectually and morally superior to his mother and delights in antagonizing the poor woman. The unfortunate climax comes at the end of a city bus trip when the mother insults her African American “doppelganger” by offering the woman’s young child a penny. Themes include (through Mrs. Chestny) sacrifice, heritage & appearance vs. character, racism; (through Julian) lack of respect, cruelty, self-deception.

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