Yolen’s short story ‘‘Suzy and Leah’’ covers the meeting of two young girls—one is a blondehaired American student named Suzy; the other is Leah, a dark-haired refugee who has come to the United States from Nazi Germany. At the opening of the story, it is August 1944, approximately one year before the official end of…
Tag: Summary
A Problem by Anton Chekhov : Summary
In Chekhov’s ‘‘A Problem,’’ the Uskov family has a secret. As they discuss it, they send their servants away lest they overhear. Half are exiled to the kitchen and the other half are sent away, either to attend the theater or visit the circus. The servants that remain in the house are instructed not to…
The Pit and the Pendulum – Summary
‘‘The Pit and the Pendulum’’ begins with the narrator sentenced to death by a panel of judges from the Spanish Inquisition. The unnamed narrator is consumed by his fragile mental condition and dreamlike state of consciousness. He does not mention his crime or whether he is really guilty. He does not hear the judges’ words,…
Ha’penny – Short Story – Summary
Paton’s short story ‘‘Ha’penny’’ is set in a youth reformatory in South Africa. The narrator informs the readers that there are six hundred youths incarcerated there. Out of that number, about one hundred are between the ages of ten and fourteen. There have been discussions among various administration officials about whether these younger boys would…
The Grasshopper and the Bell Cricket – Summary
The opening scene of ‘‘The Grasshopper and the Bell Cricket’’ finds the unnamed narrator walking outside the university (equivalent to the American high school). He turns to approach the upper school, which could mean the school that was situated higher up the hill, or it could mean a school attended by young teens, perhaps the…
Forty-Five A Month – Summary
Narayan’s short story ‘‘Forty-Five a Month’’ opens in the classroom of a little girl named Shanta. The child asks her friend whether it is five o’clock yet, explaining that her father has promised to take her to the cinema later that evening. Shanta tells her teacher that she must go home because it is five…
The Doll’s House by Katherine Mansfield – Summary
‘‘The Doll’s House’’ begins when an elaborate doll’s house is delivered to the home of the Burnell family. It is a gift from Mrs. Hay, who has been staying with them for a while in their house out in the suburbs but has recently returned to the city. The doll’s house is massive, so big…
Dog Star by Arthur C Clarke – Summary
‘‘Dog Star’’ is told by a first-person narrator who never reveals his name. There are two levels of representation in what he says. He must be imagined as relating this story both to an audience of his own contemporaries in the future, who share his knowledge of everyday reality, as well as to the reading…
Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket – Summary
‘‘Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket’’ is the story of Tom Benecke, a young advertising executive in New York City who risks his life to retrieve a scrap of paper that has flown out the window. This action results in a change in Tom’s attitude toward work and his values in life. As the story…
The Censors by Luisa Valenzuela – Summary
As Valenzuela’s ‘‘The Censors’’ opens, the narrator relates that Juan, the main character, has recently received the address of a woman, Mariana, with whom Juan appears to have had a relationship. Mariana now lives in Paris, France, and Juan is certain, having been given Mariana’s address from ‘‘a confidential source,’’ that Mariana still cares for…