Two Superb Short Stories

A few months ago, I compiled a list for Gold Class members of what I thought were the five greatest short stories of all time. The list included French, English, Kiwi and Russian. Making that list has left me contemplating the art of the short story, so this month I thought I would recommend two superb short stories by American writers.

The first is a coming-of-age tale by the American writer Richard Wright (1908 – 1960). It is called Almos’ a Man (also known as The Man who was Almost a Man) and was first published in 1940. It’s about a young man named Dave, an African-American farm worker in the South, who wants to prove to his family and his boss that he is no longer a boy, but a man. Dave longs to buy a gun, as he feels this will give him power, maturity, and independence, but everything goes wrong and, in the end, his only option is to flee. In the end, the gun comes to symbolise his failure to achieve the many goals he had in mind, and his immaturity is evident throughout. The tale was turned into a movie in 1978, starring LeVar Burton.

The second short story is about the other end of the ageing spectrum. A Piece of Steak by Jack London (1876 – 1916) was first published in 1909 and, although written by an American, is actually set in Sydney. It concerns Tom King, a boxer at the end of his career. He has a big fight coming up and needs to eat a good cut of steak to give him stamina for what is ahead, but the money he made as a star has long gone and the local butcher will not give Tom’s wife any more credit. There is only bread and gravy and his wife and children go to bed hungry. Tom faces the big fight but his opponent is younger and recovers from blows far more quickly. He loses the fight and dreads going home to tell his wife the news, so he lingers in the Sydney domain to put off the inevitable. The story gives a vivid picture of Sydney in the time of economic depression, and also shows someone getting older having to face a younger and more vigorous contender. I wrote about Jack London in my book Brief Encounters: Literary Travellers in Australia and show what real fight inspired this powerful short story.

Both these stories are wonderful examples of the art of short-story writing. They make the characters come rapidly alive, they introduce resolution and conflict, they tackle eternal problems of growing up and growing old. Both stories are easy to find online. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.