Short stories Archives - The Literary Girl

Quilts and Quilting tools- Everyday Use Symbolism

Symbolism and Symbolic Objects in “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker

The short story Everyday Use by lauded author Alice Walker was published in Harper's Magazine’s April 1973 issue. It also appeared in her short story collection In Love and Trouble:…

The Literary Girl March 12, 2025

Short stories

13 Literary Analysis Questions and Answers on “The Knowers” by Helen Phillips

A few years ago, I wrote an essay here on Helen Phillips' short story The Knowers and how, among other things, it advocates for soaking in the small joys of…

The Literary Girl December 23, 2024

Book Reviews Short stories

What’s in a Name? ‘Last, First, Middle’ by Joseph Azam in “The Displaced”

In The Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives (2018), Viet Thanh Nguyen writes in the introduction: “To become a refugee is to know, inevitably, that the past is not only…

The Literary Girl October 11, 2024

Short stories

Mental Health and Self-Agency: Themes In ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The Yellow Wallpaper (1892) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a short story about a woman's descent into madness because her doctor husband downplays her mental illness. The story is also…

The Literary Girl March 11, 2024

a jury of her peers feminist short story

Short stories

“A Jury of her Peers” by Susan Glaspell Feminist Analysis

In A Jury of Her Peers (1917) by Susan Glaspell, two women find crucial evidence that could convict a fellow woman for murder but choose to conceal it from the…

The Literary Girl December 16, 2023

Short stories

“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin Literary Analysis: Plot, Themes, Characters, Setting, and Symbolism

Kate Chopin’s (1850-1904) short story “The Story of an Hour” narrates events that happen within an hour. Louise Mallard is a young, calm, and frail woman who suffers from a…

The Literary Girl April 18, 2023

Symbolism of the audiotapes in Cathedral by Raymond Carver

Short stories

“Cathedral” by Raymond Carver: Symbolism in the Audio Tapes and What they Reveal about each Character

Raymond Carver’s 1983 short story Cathedral is about awakening and eye-opening experiences that go beyond the physical world. It vividly illustrates the difference between merely looking and seeing; hearing and…

The Literary Girl March 1, 2023

Short stories

Montressor as a Keen Observer of Human Behavior and Psychology: “The Cask Of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe.

If you’ve read more of Edgar Allan Poe, then you’ll not be surprised by the horror that is the short story “The Cask of Amontillado.” Other short stories that he…

The Literary Girl May 18, 2021

Book Reviews Short stories

Layers and Layers of Experience: “Stone Mattress” by Margaret Atwood

Our life experiences eventually shape who we become. As it is with human nature, some of these experiences we can control, while others we can’t. So we react. But the…

The Literary Girl December 5, 2020

Short stories

Tying Symbolism and Irony in “Our Christmas Reunion” by Edward Chinhanhu

When the African continent, and especially the Southern region, was grappling with HIV/AIDS pandemic, SIDA, in collaboration with the University of Cape Town, used literature to raise awareness by showing…

The Literary Girl July 29, 2020