Short Story Reviews
In The Third and Final Continent by Jhumpa Lahiri we have the theme of change, connection, control, identity and struggle. Taken from her Interpreter of Maladies collection the story is narrated in the first person by an unnamed male narrator and after reading the story the reader realises that Lahiri may be exploring the theme […]
Read moreIn Pink Bow Tie by Paul Jennings we have the theme of honesty, appearance, desire, opportunity, fear, discontent, acceptance, change and curiosity. Narrated in the first person by an unnamed fourteen year old boy the reader realises after reading the story that Jennings may be exploring the theme of honesty. If the narrator is to […]
Read moreIn I Used to Live Here Once by Jean Rhys we have the theme of struggle, connection, freedom, change, acceptance and loneliness. Narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator the reader realises after reading the story that Rhys may be exploring the theme of struggle. As the narrator is describing the stepping stones […]
Read moreIn Karma by Khushwant Singh we have the theme of self-importance, heritage, control, insecurity, shame, identity and acceptance. Narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator the reader realises after reading the story that Singh may be exploring the theme of self-importance. Sir Mohan Lal considers himself to be better than others. Particularly other […]
Read moreIn The Lost Child by Mulk Raj Anand we have the theme of desire, materialism, connection, kindness, desperation, acceptance and security. Taken from his Selected Short 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 Anand may be exploring […]
Read moreIn Susanna’s Seven Husbands by Ruskin Bond we have the theme of happiness, tradition, love, loneliness, insecurity and jealousy. 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 happiness. […]
Read moreIn Number Fifty-Six by Stephen Leacock we have the theme of appearance, identity, perception, dedication, connection, empathy and friendship. Narrated in the first person by an unnamed narrator the reader realises after reading the story that Leacock may be exploring the theme of appearance. Ah-Yen throughout the story describes a customer to the narrator who […]
Read moreIn A Young Turkish Catastrophe by Saki we have the theme of governance, inequality, power, self-importance, loyalty, control and freedom. Taken from his The Complete Short 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 Saki may be exploring […]
Read moreIn Girl by Jamaica Kincaid we have the theme of powerlessness, domesticity, independence, identity, inequality, sexuality, freedom, tradition and control. Narrated in the first person by an unnamed narrator (mother) the reader realises after reading the story that Kincaid may be exploring the theme of powerlessness. There is a sense that the narrator’s daughter is […]
Read moreIn The Renunciation by Rabindranath Tagore we have the theme of class, prejudice, shame, revenge, letting go, love, bravery and tradition. Taken from his The Hungry Stones and Other Stories collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and after reading the story the reader realises that Tagore may be […]
Read moreIn The Parrot’s Tale by Rabindranath Tagore we have the theme of control, freedom, trust, failure and responsibility. Narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator the reader realises after reading the story that Tagore may be exploring the theme of control. The King wishes for the parrot to be educated and goes about […]
Read moreIn Of White Hairs and Cricket by Rohinton Mistry we have the theme of loyalty, connection, escape, freedom, guilt, fear, conflict and coming of age. Narrated in the first person by an unnamed fourteen year old boy the reader realises after reading the story that Mistry may be exploring the theme of loyalty. Every Sunday […]
Read moreIn Tyres by Adam Thorpe we have the theme of responsibility, tradition, love, pride, helplessness, guilt, control and grief. Narrated in the first person by a Frenchman called Raoul Paulhan the story is a memory piece and after reading the story the reader realises that Thorpe may be exploring the theme of responsibility. Both Raoul […]
Read moreIn A Friend in Need by W. Somerset Maugham we have the theme of appearance, hopelessness, friendship, desperation and connection. Taken from his Collected Short Stories collection the story is narrated in the first person by an unnamed narrator and from the beginning of the story the reader realises that Maugham may be exploring the […]
Read moreIn My Lost Dollar by Stephen Leacock we have the theme of honesty, hypocrisy, appearance, letting go, frustration and acceptance. Narrated in the first person by an unnamed man the reader realises after reading the story that Leacock may be exploring the theme of letting go. The narrator appears to be unable to let go […]
Read moreIn Fruition at Forty by R.K. Narayan we have the theme of conflict, doubt, anxiety, disappointment, responsibility, control and acceptance. Taken from his Under the Banyan Tree and Other Stories collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and after reading the story the reader realises that Narayana may be […]
Read moreIn Crime and Punishment by R.K. Narayan we have the theme of fear, control, conflict and blackmail. Taken from his Under the Banyan Tree and Other Stories collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and after reading the story the reader realises that Narayan may be exploring the theme […]
Read moreIn Esmé by Saki we have the theme of connection, pleasure, class, arrogance, selfishness, control and morality. Taken from his The Complete Short Stories collection the story is a frame narrative and after reading the story the reader realises that Saki may be exploring the theme of arrogance. At no stage in the story do […]
Read moreIn Mrs Packletide’s Tiger by Saki we have the theme of jealousy, appearance, pride, insecurity, control, selfishness and blackmail. Taken from his The Complete Short 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 Saki may be exploring the […]
Read moreIn Her Letters by Kate Chopin we have the theme of letting go, loyalty, conflict, torment, jealousy and trust. Narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator the reader realises after reading the story that Chopin may be exploring the theme of letting go. The female protagonist in the story is unable to destroy […]
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