The document provides summaries for 14 short stories. It includes the title, author, year of publication, a brief plot summary, setting, theme, symbolism used, and tone for each story. The stories cover a range of genres and topics such as class differences, human relationships, morality, and man vs. nature. Settings include London, India, the ocean, and small towns. Recurring themes are loneliness, social injustice, and the human desire for connection.

1. SHORT
STORIES
Prepared by: Jheel Barad

2. Title: A Cup of Tea
Author: Katherine Mansfield
Published year: 1922
Plot: The story follows Rosemary Fell, a wealthy
young woman who impulsively decides to invite a
homeless girl, Miss Smith, into her home for tea. As
Rosemary tries to help Miss Smith, she begins to
realize the limitations of her own privileged life.
Setting: The story takes place in London, England,
during the early 20th century. The setting
emphasizes the contrast between Rosemary's
privileged lifestyle and Miss Smith's homelessness.
Theme: Class and social inequality
Symbolism: The cup of tea itself serves as a
symbol of Rosemary's privileged lifestyle and her
attempts to bridge the gap between herself and
Miss Smith.
Tone: melancholic and contemplative
A Cup of Tea

3. Title: The Postmaster
Author: Rabindranath Tagore
Published year: 1984
Plot: The story follows a postmaster who is transferred to
a remote village and feels lonely and isolated from his
family and friends. He forms a close bond with his young
servant girl, Ratan, and begins to see her as a daughter
figure. However, when he is called back to his hometown,
he realizes that his bond with Ratan was one-sided and
that she has already moved on.
Setting: The story takes place in a remote village in India
during the early 20th century.
Theme: loneliness and the search for human connection
Symbolism: The relationship between the postmaster
and Ratan serves as a symbol of the human desire for
connection and the challenges of bridging the gaps
between different social classes and cultural
backgrounds.
Tone: melancholic and reflective
The Postmaster

4. Title: A True Story
Author: Mark Twain
Published year: 1874
Plot: The story is about a conversation between a
narrator and an old colonel about his encounter with a
former slave named Uncle Daniel. The colonel tells the
narrator how Uncle Daniel's wife and children were sold
and separated from him, causing him to escape and
hide in a cave for years until the colonel found him and
helped reunite him with his family.
Setting: The story is set in the Southern United States
during the period of slavery
Theme: human compassion and the power of hope;
injustices and cruelty of slavery
Symbolism: The cave where Uncle Daniel hides
symbolizes both a place of safety and confinement,
while the colonel who helps Uncle Daniel symbolizes a
rare example of human compassion and decency in a
system of cruelty and oppression.
Tone: melancholic and contemplative
A True Story

5. Title: Blow Up with the Ship
Author: Wilkie Collins
Published year: 1874
Plot: Captain Hardy and his wife Emily are traveling on
a ship when they hear a mysterious ticking sound
coming from one of the cargo boxes. They soon realize
that the box contains a time bomb that is set to
explode when the ship reaches a certain point in its
journey. The captain and his crew must race against
time to save the ship and its passengers before it's too
late.
Setting: The story takes place on a ship in the middle
of the ocean.
Theme: struggle between life and death
Symbolism: The ticking time bomb represents the
threat of death and destruction that is always present
in life, and the need for constant vigilance and
preparedness.
Tone: tense and anxious
Blow Up with
the Ship

6. Title: The Trunk of Ganesh
Author: Jayanta Mahapatra
Published year: 1971
Plot: The story follows an idol maker named Govinda
who is unable to complete an idol of Lord Ganesha
due to the trunk breaking every time. He begins to
question whether God is angry with him for making
eye-catching idols or charging high prices. With the
help of his son, he discovers that a cat is responsible
for breaking the trunk and feels relieved.
Setting: The story is set in a valley in India where
Govinda and his family live. The story primarily takes
place in Govinda's workspace, where he creates his
idols.
Theme:importance of perseverance and
determination
Symbolism: The idol of Lord Ganesha represents a
connection to the divine and serves as a symbol of the
importance of spirituality in the characters' lives.
Tone: curious and reflective
The Trunk of
Ganesha

7. Title: The Sage of Tarun giri and Seven Old Seekers
Author: Manoj Das
Plot: Seven old friends gather at a club house and
discuss their problems. When Tapan mentions Tukan
baba, the greatest weeper he knows, the men pledge
to Tapan to take them to see the baba. Tapan leads
them to the baba's cave in the forest, and they wait for
him to come out on the night of the full moon. When
the baba comes out, the men are shocked to see him
smiling instead of weeping. Meghananda, the baba's
disciple, tells them that the baba's smile is rare and
remarkable, and whoever touches his feet on this
occasion will have all their desires fulfilled. The men
regret not touching the baba's feet and try to force
their way into the cave, but a huge roar shakes the hill,
and they all roll down except for Tapan.
Setting:
Theme: desire and the consequences
Tone: mysterious and suspenseful
The Sage of Tarun
giri and Seven Old
Seekers

8. Title: The Tiger smiled
Author: Jim Corbett
Plot: Jim Corbett narrates his personal
experience of encountering a man-eating tiger
in the ravines of Champawat. He describes the
tiger's cunning nature and the difficulty of
tracking it in the dense forest. Jim and his team
set a trap for the tiger and finally manage to
shoot it down after three failed attempts. He
reflects on the incident and how he had to use
his wits and experience to outsmart the tiger.
Setting: The story is set in the dense forest and
ravines of Champawat in India.
Theme: man versus nature and the human
Symbolism: The tiger represents the power and
unpredictability of nature
Tone: tense and suspenseful
The Tiger
smiled

9. Title: The Nightingale and Rose
Author: Oscar Wilde
Published year: 1888
Plot: A young student is in love with a beautiful girl
who promises to dance with him at the upcoming ball if
he brings her a red rose. The student searches for a
red rose, but none are to be found. A nightingale
overhears his dilemma and decides to sacrifice herself
by piercing her heart on a thorn to create a red rose
for the student. The student receives the rose and
presents it to the girl, but she rejects it in favor of a
more extravagant gift. The nightingale dies from her
sacrifice, and the student realizes the true meaning of
love and sacrifice too late.
Setting: in a fairy tale-like setting, dreamlike
Theme: love, sacrifice, and the true nature of beauty
Symbolism: nightingale- selfless love and sacrifice;
red rose- passionate love sought by the student; white
rosebush- purity and innocence.
Tone: melancholic and bittersweet
The Nightingale
and Rose

10. Title: Quality
Author: John Galsworthy
Published year: 1912
Plot: Gessler, a Swiss shoemaker, takes great pride in
the quality of his shoes. He refuses to make cheaper,
lower quality shoes despite pressure from his rival, who
believes that people only care about the price.
Gessler's business suffers as a result, and he is
eventually forced to close his shop. However, a few
years later, a customer returns to Gessler's shop,
seeking the same quality of shoes that he had
provided before. This customer helps Gessler re-
establish his business, proving that quality is more
important than price.
Setting: in a small village in Switzerland
Theme: importance of quality in craftsmanship and
business
Symbolism: Gessler's shoes represent his commitment
to quality and his refusal to compromise his principles
Tone: nostalgic and reflective
Quality

11. Title: The Black Cat
Author: Edgar Allan Poe
Published year: 1843
Plot:The narrator is an animal lover who becomes
increasingly violent and abusive towards his pets and
wife under the influence of alcohol. He kills his beloved
black cat, Pluto, and later adopts a similar-looking cat
who drives him to commit even more heinous acts.
Eventually, the narrator confesses to the murder of his
wife, after the second cat leads the authorities to her
body, which was hidden in the cellar.
Setting: The story takes place in the narrator's home,
which becomes increasingly dark and foreboding as
his behavior becomes more erratic and violent.
Theme: guilt, madness, and the consequences of
one's actions
Symbolism: The black cat symbolizes the narrator's
guilt and the supernatural forces
Tone: dark and unsettling
The Black Cat

12. Title: The Heathen
Author:Jack London
Published year: 1905
Plot: Captain Kellar, a whaler, is stranded on an
uninhabited island after his ship sinks. He is initially
horrified to discover that he is not alone on the
island, but soon realizes that the "heathen" who lives
there is a kind and gentle soul who takes care of him.
Kellar learns to communicate with the heathen, and
the two develop a deep bond. However, Kellar's crew
eventually returns to the island, and they kill the
heathen despite Kellar's attempts to save him.
Setting: an uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean
Theme: prejudice, communication, and the common
humanity
Tone: fearful and tense
The Heathen

13. Title: I Want to Know Why
Author:Sherwood Anderson
Published year:1920
Plot:The story is narrated by a young boy who
becomes obsessed with the sport of horse racing. He
begins to work for a wealthy owner and trainer, and
he learns that the world of horse racing is filled with
cruelty and corruption. The boy witnesses the
mistreatment of horses and the manipulation of
races, and he becomes disillusioned with the sport. In
the end, the boy decides to leave horse racing behind
and focus on his studies.
Setting: small town in the United States
Theme: disillusionment, morality, and the loss of
innocence
Symbolism: horses- innocent victims of a corrupt
and cruel industry; racetrack- larger world, where
success and power can be achieved through immoral
means.
Tone: nostalgic and reflective
I Want to
Know Why