Short Story Reviews
In The Catbird Seat by James Thurber we have the theme of resentment, change, dependency and gender roles. Narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator the reader realises from the beginning of the story that Martin has a resentment towards Mrs Barrows. Something which some critics might feel is justified considering that Mrs […]
Read moreIn The Romance of a Busy Broker by O. Henry we have the theme of love, conflict, control and gender roles. Taken from his Selected Stories collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and after reading the story the reader realises that Henry may be exploring the theme of […]
Read moreIn The Dream by O. Henry we have the theme of indifference, fear, escape, acceptance and jealousy. Taken from his Selected Stories collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and from the beginning of the story the reader realises that Henry may be exploring the theme of indifference. For […]
Read moreIn The School for Sympathy by E.V. Lucas we have the theme of thoughtfulness, appreciation, equality, sympathy and humanity. Taken from his A Choice of Essays collection the reader realises after reading the essay that Lucas may be exploring the theme of thoughtfulness. Each child is given a role to play on a daily basis. […]
Read moreIn Masterji by Ruskin Bond we have the theme of respect, compassion, corruption, fraud, kindness and acceptance. Taken from his Collected Short Stories collection the story is narrated in the first person by an unnamed narrator and after reading the story the reader realises that Bond may be exploring the theme of respect. There is […]
Read moreIn The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen we have the theme of hope, struggle, loneliness, resilience, control and longing. Narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator the reader realises after reading the story that Andersen may be exploring the theme of hope. The Little Match girl is forced to sell matches […]
Read moreIn Patriotism and Sport by G.K. Chesterton we have the theme of ignorance, individualism, patriotism and elitism. Taken from his All Things Considered collection the reader realises from the beginning of the essay that Chesterton may be exploring the theme of ignorance. By having newspapers link patriotism to sport Chesterton feels those in power are […]
Read moreIn On Doing Nothing by J.B. Priestley we have the theme of peace of mind, laziness, envy, desire and very early on in the essay the reader realises that Priestley may be exploring the theme of peace of mind. Priestley while on the moors with his friend finds a sense of calmness and peace of […]
Read moreIn The Worship of the Wealthy by G.K. Chesterton we have the theme of flattery. Taken from his All Things Considered collection the reader realises from the beginning of the essay that Chesterton is exploring the theme of flattery and his hesitancy to give flattery to those who are wealthy. Chesterton also feels as though […]
Read moreIn Tryst with Destiny by Jawaharlal Nehru we have the theme of freedom, power, independence, struggle, hope and commitment. Taken from The Penguin Book of Twentieth Century Speeches the reader realises from the beginning of the speech that Nehru may be exploring the theme of freedom. India has broken away from British rule and now […]
Read moreIn The Riot by Khushwant Singh we have the theme of fear, hostility, religion, control, conflict and change. Taken from his The Portrait of a Lady and Other Stories collection the reader realises from the setting of the story that Singh is exploring the theme of fear. People are afraid to leave their homes at […]
Read moreIn On Waking Up by A.G. Gardiner we have the theme of sleep, control, happiness, contentment and change. Taken from his Windfalls collection the reader realises after reading the essay that Gardiner may be exploring the theme of sleep. For Gardiner there is no better time than just having woken from sleep. Man is calm […]
Read moreIn Chief Seattle’s Speech we have the theme of friendship, control, religion, trust and acceptance. Taken from the original Seattle Sunday Star article the reader realises from the beginning of the speech that Chief Seattle comes in peace or friendship towards the white man. He knows of the atrocities that have been caused between both […]
Read moreIn The Cobbler and the Machine by Mulk Raj Anand we have the theme of tradition, gratitude, modernity, enthusiasm, poverty and guilt. Taken from his Selected Short stories collection the story is narrated in the first person by an unnamed narrator and the reader realises from the beginning of the story that Anand may be […]
Read moreIn On Getting Off to Sleep by J.B. Priestley we have the theme of insomnia, irritation, restlessness, ignorance, arrogance and sympathy. Taken from his Papers from Lilliput collection the reader realises after reading the essay that Priestley may be exploring the theme of insomnia. Throughout the essay Priestley finds difficulty in sleeping. No matter what […]
Read moreIn The Machine That Won the War by Isaac Asimov we have the theme of doubt, reliability, trust, chance, responsibility, independence and self-importance. Taken from his Nightfall and Other Stories collection the reader realises after reading the story that Asimov may be exploring the theme of doubt. All three men in the story (Swift, Henderson […]
Read moreIn The Story of Muhammad Din by Rudyard Kipling we have the theme of mortality, generosity, authority, conformity, freedom and independence. Taken from his Plain Tales from the Hills collection the story is narrated in the first person by an unnamed man and after reading the story the reader realises that Kipling may be exploring […]
Read moreIn The Untold Lie by Sherwood Anderson we have the theme of marriage, responsibility, commitment, happiness, freedom, fear, acceptance, selfishness, control and regret. Taken from his Winesburg, Ohio collection the reader realises after reading the story that Anderson may be exploring the theme of marriage. Hal is in trouble having gotten Nell pregnant. He is […]
Read moreIn Of Revenge by Francis Bacon we have the theme of morality, letting go, control, acceptance and selfishness. Taken from his The Essays collection the reader realises from the beginning of the essay that Bacon is against the act of revenge. He considers it to be morally wrong and not of the spirit of man. […]
Read moreIn Of Studies by Francis Bacon we have the theme of education, knowledge and balance. Taken from his The Essays collection the reader realises from the beginning of the essay that Bacon believes that studying has three benefits. Firstly some people study for delight or personal use. To humour themselves while at the same time […]
Read more