Alienation According to the Pirandello translator Frederick May, Pirandello once wrote in his private notebook, ‘‘There is somebody who’s living my life. And I know nothing about him.’’ This sense of detachment from one’s life, even from oneself, is an important theme of ‘‘A Day Goes By.’’ From the moment the story begins, the main…
Tag: Themes
Beware of the Dog by Roald Dahl – Themes
Adventure Fiction In adventure stories, the characters are usually broadly drawn and suggestive rather than well developed and realistic. The plots are generally a simple recitation of interesting and exciting events: adventures. A popular subset of adventure fiction is aviation stories. Frequently, such stories are aimed at teenage boys and have characters who are hypermasculine,…
The Witness for the Prosecution by Agatha Christie – Themes
Deception Deception is the key element in the interactions between nearly every major character in the story. From the start, Vole lies to Mayherne about being guilty of the crime; he only acknowledges pieces of the truth when confronted by witnesses or hard evidence to the contrary. For his part, Mayherne tells Vole that he…
With All Flags Flying – Themes
Aging One of the primary themes in ‘‘With All Flags Flying’’ is aging and issues related to the elderly. Carpenter is an eighty-two-year-old widower who has lived alone in a two-room house since his wife’s death. For many years he has had a plan for how he wants to spend the end of his life….
The Treasure of Lemon Brown – Themes
Fathers and Sons The story opens with Greg avoiding his father and ends with him eagerly returning home to him. Meeting Lemon Brown, who defines his treasure as what a man ‘‘can pass on to his son,’’ changes Greg’s estimation of his father. Lemon’s fatherly guidance and protection during the encounter with the thugs opens…
Tears of Autumn by Yoshiko Uchida – Themes
Coming of Age Hana’s decision to leave her family behind illustrates her desire to act and be treated as an adult. She takes responsibility for the consequences of her decision to leave Japan and marry Taro. Though her and Taro’s families played a role in arranging the marriage, Hana recognizes that it was her idea…
A Retrieved Reformation – Themes
Power of Love One of the primary themes in ‘‘A Retrieved Reformation’’ is the power of love. Jimmy is quite content to make his living robbing banks until he sees young Annabel Adams. As O. Henry writes, ‘‘Valentine looked into her eyes, forgot what he was, and became another man.’’ Jimmy’s feelings for Annabel inspire…
The Jewels by Guy de Maupassant – Themes
Wisdom A common theme in Maupassant’s work is the inability of human beings to acquire wisdom, and ‘‘The Jewels’’ makes that point clearly. The protagonist, Monsieur Lantin, is every bit as blank and empty at the end of the story as he is at the beginning. He is portrayed as a dutiful office worker, content…
Good Climate, Friendly Inhabitants – Themes
Loneliness and Isolation The narrator of ‘‘Good Climate, Friendly Inhabitants’’ is a middle-aged, working-class white woman who lacks a strong social network. She complains, with some justification, that her work in the petrol station does not afford her opportunities to develop friendships. She is prevented from befriending her co-workers as a result of being the…
The Garden of Stubborn Cats – Themes
The Negative Effects of Progress An important theme that runs through ‘‘The Garden of Stubborn Cats’’ is the negative consequences progress can have on a community. The city in the story is rapidly changing—new skyscrapers appear and buildings become taller and more uniform. As these changes unfold, cats are no longer able to live as…