Fiction Page 43

Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” is a brief yet significant literary work that delves into the intricacies of human emotions and the quest for personal independence. The narrative follows Mrs. Louise Mallard as she absorbs the news of her husband’s death and experiences a spectrum of contradictory emotions in the late nineteenth century….

Literary enthusiasts often celebrate F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” for its intricate character development, captivating storyline, and exquisite prose. Perhaps one of the novel’s most dissected aspects is its poignant last line: “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” This line encapsulates the novel’s essence, themes, and…

“Abuela Invents the Zero” is a captivating short story by Judith Ortiz Cofer, which beautifully interweaves themes of cultural identity, generational gaps, and personal self-worth. Through the tale of a young girl named Constancia and her grandmother, Cofer draws parallels between the mathematical concept of zero and the feelings of worthlessness one might face in…

Magical realism, a literary style that has its roots in Latin American literature, seamlessly blends the everyday reality with the supernatural, often introducing elements of fantasy into a realistic environment. It doesn’t ask the reader to suspend disbelief or enter a fantastical realm; instead, it invites them to envision a world where the extraordinary coexists…

Scott Fitzgerald implements many symbols in The Great Gatsby, developing. A hidden theme or meaning behind each that apply towards the characters. Used for character development, Fitzgerald connects symbols to characters. To expose their inner thoughts, desires, and flaws through the symbol’s connotations. He depicts these concealed qualities of the characters, for they are never…

Time travel is a plot device almost as old as science fiction itself. It seems that as soon aswe have permission to create whatever technology we want we are using it to explore and change the past and future. From Star Trek’s “The City on the Edge of Forever” to Terminator 2: Judgement Day to…

In Judith Ortiz Cofer’s poignant short story, “Catch the Moon,” readers embark on a journey of healing, forgiveness, and transformation. Using the humble backdrop of a junkyard, Cofer crafts a tale that is as much about the intricacies of familial relationships as it is about personal redemption. This essay delves into the narrative, examining the…

It’s a familiar theme in myth, fantasy, horror and pulp literature. The immortal and terrible queen who rules in the shadows, whether she literally drinks blood or not. Ereshkigal, the Babylonian Queen of Hell … Persephone in Greek myth … the death-goddess Hel of the Norse legends, and the grim Choosers of the Slain, the…

But despite its terrifying name and appearance, it’s not a vampire. It doesn’t suck blood. It doesn’t have a “blood funnel” vampire squids eat mostly “marine snow” — a mixture of dead bodies, poop, and snot. The dead bodies are the remains of microscopic algae and animals that live in the waters farther up in…

Negari, black queen of a former Atlantean colony deep in sixteenth-century Africa, is a wildly contradictory figure. I believe it’s not merely because she features in a story that appears to have been written in haste for the 1930s pulp market. A dying priest, described by himself as the last Atlantean, is biased in his…