Short Stories

Short Stories

November. 1, 2009

    In Mr.Bohlman’s English class, we read a total of five short stories. I chose three to write my short paragraphs on. These three are called “The Sidewalk”, “The Most Dangerous Game” and “The Final Twist”.  They are in fact, written in that order to make life easier for you.
    First off, I read “The Sidewalk,” by Steve Allen. This story is about a strange, but intelligent boy named Seventy. Seventy comes up with a plan to outwit a certain person known around town. His name was Nick. He had a strong gambling habit, and Seventeen knew it. In this way, he took advantage of his knowledge, and used Nick to win $25 out of him. His plan was to buy some cream of chicken soup, and splash it over a freshly cleaned cement square. After doing this, he would ‘accidentally bump’ into Nick, start conversing, and then run into the spilled soup. Now this is where Seventeen’s wits start supporting his sneaky plan. Seventeen started speaking of how daring Nick is. Speaking to a friend, Seventy says, “This guy’ll kill you. He bets on anything. Funny thing is, he usually wins,” and “I’m telling you, there’s nothing this guy won’t bet on” This shows admiration, and is supposed to make Nick feel confident in himself. It is meant to make gambling seem like a positive, and brave act.
    Next, I read “The Most Dangerous Game,” by Richard Connell. This short story is about two men and an island. The main character is named Rainsford and he is traveling through the Caribbean Sea on his way to hunt jaguar in the Amazon. After everybody has headed to bed, Rainsford stays outside a little while for a smoke. He hears three gun shots in the distance, and while straining to see, Rainsford falls off his yacht. Separated from the rest of his crew, he is left no choice but to swim to the nearby island. On this island, Rainsford meets a dangerous and mysterious man who shares his interest in hunting.  This man’s name is General Zaroff, and he claims to be bored with hunting. General Zaroff is too good for all the uninteresting animals which he has hunted before. Instead, he likes to hunt people that pass by in boats who get stuck in the rocks nearby.  He enjoys playing with his new prey, and observing their clever and interesting ways of survival. He does not tell this to his new victim, Rainsford, right away however. After spoiling him with rich wine, a warm meal, and a place to sleep, he tells Rainsford that he would enjoy hunting with him. “Tonight, we will hunt. You and I,” he says. General Zaroff tries to gain his trust by sharing his cigarettes, and even sharing his own clothes.  Rainsford is not at all impressed by the aggression he shows towards hunting all these animals, and is suspicious of the new animal that General Zaroff speaks of. He won’t tell him what it is, but instead, explains that he finally is satisfied with this animal with wits equal to his own.
    Lastly, I read “The Final Twist,” by William Bankier. I thought this was a very strange and sad short story. It was about three people that despise their boss. He would do many things like raising their hopes with Christmas bonuses, which turn out to be $5 each. He could care less about their pitiful lives! “He looks on all of us as his property,” said one of his employees. The boss is the most hated person in all three of their lives, so one day, they make a plan to get rid of him in a way that won’t make others question where he’s gone.
    In conclusion, these were the three short stories that I read. They weren’t my favorite out of the bunch, but they were the three that I felt most connected to.  I thought “The Sidewalk” was a bit unrealistic, but the protagonist, Seventy, was very witty in his planning.  Likewise, “The Final Twist,” seemed  strange, even slightly depressing. “The Most Dangerous Game” was interesting, and unique. I found General Zaroff to be my favorite character, because the games he was playing with Rainsford made this short story entertaining.