Short Stories for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Short Stories, Volume 20

328 Pages·2004·5.88 MB·English

by  Ira Mark Milne

htp only 8/24/04 12:43 PM Page 1
Short
Stories
for Students
National Advisory Board
Jennifer Hood: Young Adult/Reference Librarian, High School, Brooklyn, New York. Expert
Cumberland Public Library, Cumberland, Guide in Biography/Memoir for the web-
Rhode Island. Certified teacher, Rhode Island. site About.com (http://biography.about.com).
Member of the New England Library Asso- Author of short stories and book reviews.
ciation, Rhode Island Library Association, Received B.A., M.A. (anthropology), and
and the Rhode Island Educational Media M.L.S. from Rutgers University.
Association.
Heidi Stohs: Instructor in Language Arts, grades
Christopher Maloney: Head Reference Librarian, 10–12, Solomon High School, Solomon, Kan-
Ocean City Free Public Library, Ocean City, sas. Received B.S. from Kansas State Univer-
New Jersey. Member of the American Library
sity; M.A. from Fort Hays State University.
Association and the New Jersey Library Asso-
ciation. Board member of the South Jersey Barbara Wencl: Library Media Specialist, Como
Library Cooperative. Park Senior High School, St. Paul, Minne-
sota. Teacher of secondary social studies and
Kathleen Preston: Head of Reference, New City
history, St. Paul, Minnesota. Received B.S.
Library, New City, New York. Member of the
and M.Ed. from University of Minnesota;
American Library Association. Received B.A.
received media certification from University
and M.L.S. from University of Albany.
of Wisconsin. Educator and media specialist
Patricia Sarles: Library Media Specialist, Canarsie with over 30 years experience.
ssfs tp 8/24/04 12:43 PM Page 1
Short
Stories
for Students
Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on
Commonly Studied Short Stories
Volume 20
Ira Mark Milne and Timothy Sisler,
Project Editors
Short Stories for Students, Volume 20
Project Editor Manufacturing
Ira Mark Milne Rhonda Williams
Editorial Imaging and Multimedia
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Table of Contents
Guest Foreword
“Why Study Literature At All?”
Thomas E. Barden . . . . . . . . vii
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . ix
Literary Chronology . . . . . . xiii
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . xv
Contributors . . . . . . . . . xvii
Babette’s Feast
Isak Dinesen . . . . . . . . . . 1
Big Black Good Man
Richard Wright . . . . . . . . . 18
Christmas Not Just Once a Year
Heinrich Böll . . . . . . . . . . 37
A Great Day
Frank Sargeson . . . . . . . . . 60
Imagined Scenes
Ann Beattie . . . . . . . . . . . 73
In the Shadow of War
Ben Okri . . . . . . . . . . . 96
The Long-Distance Runner
Grace Paley . . . . . . . . . 115
Private Lies
Bobbie Ann Mason . . . . . . . 138
v
T a b l e o f C o n t e n t s
The Pursuer The Sun, the Moon, the Stars
Julio Cortázar . . . . . . . . . 160 Junot Díaz . . . . . . . . . . 233
Saint Emmanuel the Good, Martyr To Room Nineteen
Miguel de Unamuno . . . . . . . 180 Doris Lessing . . . . . . . . . 254
The Sniper The Veldt
Liam O’Flaherty . . . . . . . . 216 Ray Bradbury . . . . . . . . . 269
Glossary of Literary Terms . . . 287
Cumulative Author/Title Index . 299
Nationality/Ethnicity Index . . 307
Subject/Theme Index . . . . . . 313
v i S h o r t S t o r i e s f o r S t u d e n t s
Why Study Literature At All?
Short Stories for Students is designed to pro- wonders what will happen to us after we die. Litera-
vide readers with information and discussion about ture admits that we get our hearts broken, that
a wide range of important contemporary and histori- people sometimes cheat and get away with it, that
cal works of short fiction, and it does that job very the world is a strange and probably incomprehensi-
well. However, I want to use this guest foreword to ble place. Literature, in other words, takes on all the
address a question that it does not take up. It is a big and small issues of what it means to be human.
fundamental question that is often ignored in high So my first answer is that of the humanist—we
school and college English classes as well as re- should read literature and study it and take it seri-
search texts, and one that causes frustration among
ously because it enriches us as human beings. We
students at all levels, namely—why study literature
develop our moral imagination, our capacity to
at all? Isn’t it enough to read a story, enjoy it, and go
sympathize with other people, and our ability to
about one’s business? My answer (to be expected
understand our existence through the experience of
from a literary professional, I suppose) is no. It is
fiction.
not enough. It is a start; but it is not enough.
Here’s why. My second answer is more practical. By study-
ing literature we can learn how to explore and
First, literature is the only part of the educa-
analyze texts. Fiction may be about die Lebenswelt,
tional curriculum that deals directly with the actual
but it is a construct of words put together in a certain
world of lived experience. The philosopher Edmund
order by an artist using the medium of language. By
Husserl used the apt German term die Lebenswelt,
examining and studying those constructions, we can
“the living world,” to denote this realm. All the
learn about language as a medium. We can become
other content areas of the modern American educa-
more sophisticated about word associations and
tional system avoid the subjective, present reality of
connotations, about the manipulation of symbols,
everyday life. Science (both the natural and the
social varieties) objectifies, the fine arts create and/or and about style and atmosphere. We can grasp how
perform, history reconstructs. Only literary study ambiguous language is and how important context
persists in posing those questions we all asked and texture is to meaning. In our first encounter with
before our schooling taught us to give up on them. a work of literature, of course, we are not supposed
Only literature gives credibility to personal percep- to catch all of these things. We are spellbound, just
tions, feelings, dreams, and the “stream of con- as the writer wanted us to be. It is as serious students
sciousness” that is our inner voice. Literature won- of the writer’s art that we begin to see how the tricks
ders about infinity, wonders why God permits evil, are done.
v i i
W h y S t u d y L i t e r a t u r e A t A l l ?
Seeing the tricks, which is another way of Studying short stories, then, can help students
saying “developing analytical and close reading become better readers, better writers, and even
skills,” is important above and beyond its intrinsic better human beings. But I want to close with a
literary educational value. These skills transfer to warning. If your study and exploration of the craft,
other fields and enhance critical thinking of any history, context, symbolism, or anything else about
kind. Understanding how language is used to con- a story starts to rob it of the magic you felt when you
struct texts is powerful knowledge. It makes engi- first read it, it is time to stop. Take a break, study
neers better problem solvers, lawyers better advo- another subject, shoot some hoops, or go for a run.
cates and courtroom practitioners, politicians better Love of reading is too important to be ruined by
rhetoricians, marketing and advertising agents bet- school. The early twentieth century writer Willa
ter sellers, and citizens more aware consumers as Cather, in her novel My Antonia, has her narrator
well as better participants in democracy. This last Jack Burden tell a story that he and Antonia heard
point is especially important, because rhetorical from two old Russian immigrants when they were
skill works both ways—when we learn how lan- teenagers. These immigrants, Pavel and Peter, told
guage is manipulated in the making of texts the about an incident from their youth back in Russia
result is that we become less susceptible when that the narrator could recall in vivid detail thirty
language is used to manipulate us. years later. It was a harrowing story of a wedding
party starting home in sleds and being chased by
My third reason is related to the second. When starving wolves. Hundreds of wolves attacked the
we begin to see literature as created artifacts of group’s sleds one by one as they sped across the
language, we become more sensitive to good writ- snow trying to reach their village. In a horrible
ing in general. We get a stronger sense of the revelation, the old Russians revealed that the groom
importance of individual words, even the sounds of eventually threw his own bride to the wolves to save
words and word combinations. We begin to under- himself. There was even a hint that one of the old
stand Mark Twain’s delicious proverb—“The dif- immigrants might have been the groom mentioned
ference between the right word and the almost right in the story. Cather has her narrator conclude with
word is the difference between lightning and a his feelings about the story. “We did not tell Pavel’s
lightning bug.” Getting beyond the “enjoyment secret to anyone, but guarded it jealously—as if the
only” stage of literature gets us closer to becoming wolves of the Ukraine had gathered that night long
makers of word art ourselves. I am not saying that ago, and the wedding party had been sacrificed, just
studying fiction will turn every student into a Faulkner to give us a painful and peculiar pleasure.” That
or a Shakespeare. But it will make us more adapt- feeling, that painful and peculiar pleasure, is the
able and effective writers, even if our art form ends most important thing about literature. Study and
up being the office memo or the corporate annual research should enhance that feeling and never be
report. allowed to overwhelm it.
Thomas E. Barden
Professor of English and
Director of Graduate English Studies
The University of Toledo
v i i i S h o r t S t o r i e s f o r S t u d e n t s
Introduction
Purpose of the Book comparing the time or place the story was written to
The purpose of Short Stories for Students (SSfS) modern Western culture, a critical essay, and ex-
is to provide readers with a guide to understanding, cerpts from critical essays on the story or author. A
enjoying, and studying short stories by giving them unique feature of SSfS is a specially commissioned
easy access to information about the work. Part of critical essay on each story, targeted toward the
Gale’s ‘‘For Students’’ Literature line, SSfS is spe- student reader.
cifically designed to meet the curricular needs of
high school and undergraduate college students and To further aid the student in studying and
their teachers, as well as the interests of general enjoying each story, information on media adapta-
readers and researchers considering specific short tions is provided (if available), as well as reading
fiction. While each volume contains entries on suggestions for works of fiction and nonfiction on
‘‘classic’’ stories frequently studied in classrooms, similar themes and topics. Classroom aids include
there are also entries containing hard-to-find infor- ideas for research papers and lists of critical sources
mation on contemporary stories, including works that provide additional material on the work.
by multicultural, international, and women writers.
The information covered in each entry includes Selection Criteria
an introduction to the story and the story’s author; a
The titles for each volume of SSfS were se-
plot summary, to help readers unravel and under-
lected by surveying numerous sources on teaching
stand the events in the work; descriptions of impor-
literature and analyzing course curricula for various
tant characters, including explanation of a given
school districts. Some of the sources surveyed in-
character’s role in the narrative as well as discussion
clude: literature anthologies, Reading Lists for
about that character’s relationship to other charac-
College-Bound Students: The Books Most Recom-
ters in the story; analysis of important themes in the
mended by America’s Top Colleges; Teaching the
story; and an explanation of important literary tech-
Short Story: A Guide to Using Stories from around
niques and movements as they are demonstrated in
the World, by the National Council of Teachers of
the work.
English (NCTE); and ‘‘A Study of High School
In addition to this material, which helps the Literature Anthologies,’’ conducted by Arthur
readers analyze the story itself, students are also Applebee at the Center for the Learning and Teach-
provided with important information on the literary ing of Literature and sponsored by the National
and historical background informing each work. Endowment for the Arts and the Office of Educa-
This includes a historical context essay, a box tional Research and Improvement.
i x