Short Story Unit Review

"The story of an hour" (pink) - Kate Chopin , "Every Little Hurricane" (blue) - Sherman Alexie, "In the American Society" (green)- Gish Jen, "Everyday Use" (yellow)- Alice Walker, "The Ingredient" (orange)- Julio Marzan, "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" (purple)- Ernest Hemmingway, "Sonny's Blues" (aqua)- James Baldwin

Who is the Protagonist in Story of an Hour?

Louise Mallard

What condition does Louise have?

Heart condition

What is the major incident in Story of an Hour

News of Brently Mallard’s supposed death in a railroad accident

What is Louise’s initial reaction to Brently’s death?

She weeps immediately and intensely

Where does Louise go after hearing about her husband’s death?

To her bedroom to weep and collect herself

What does the Open Window in Louise Mallard’s bedroom show?

freedom and possibility

What does Louise realize?

She will live for herself, not for her husband

What does the theme of marriage in Story of an Hour showcase

Marriage can be emotionally restrictive even without cruelty

What is the climax of Story of an hour?

Brently Mallard walks into the house alive

What ultimately causes’s Louise Mallard’s death?

Shock from losing her newfound freedom

What is the conclusion of Story of an hour?

Louise died of the “ joy that kills”

Central theme in story of an hour?

Female independence and self-identity

What is the setting of Every Little Hurricane?

Spokane Indian Reservation during a New Year’s Eve party

What is the meaning of the title “Every Little Hurricane”?

Every family member carries emotional turmoil (hurricanes)

Central conflict in Every Little Hurricane

Internal and familial conflict caused by generational trauma

What does the symbol of the hurricane showcase

anger, pain, alcoholism, and emotional chaos

What does the party represent in Every Little Hurricane

The illusion of celebration masking dysfunction

Role of alcohol in Every Little Hurricane

trigger for violence, honesty, copping mechanism, emotional release

What is the role of Victor’s parents?

Emotionally distant, shaped by hardship and disappointment (Victor’s dad can’t get Victor christmas presents)

What is the role of Victor’s uncles?

Embodiments of rage, regret and lost potential

What does Victor observe in Every Little Hurricane

Adults are fragile and damaged, not powerful

What is the central theme of identity about?

Growing up Native American within cycles of pain

What is the ending of Every Little Hurricane

Victor recognizes pain as inherited and unavoidable

Who is the protagonist in “In the American society”

Mona Chang

What is the central goal

To become more “American and fit into american society

What does Mona believe American is?

popularity, confidence, ease, social success

What is the meaning behind Mr. Chang keeping the price tag on his jacket?

That his assimilation into America is only temporary and he will take it off and go back into his comfort zone

What happens between Mr. Chang and Jeremy during the country club party

Jeremy is racist towards Mr. Chang and when he asks what he’s doing he is asking why Mr. Chang is in the States

Why does Mr. Chang only hire immigrants for his pancake house?

Because he understands what its like to be new

What is the overall message of In the American Society

True belonging cannot be forced through conformity

What is the main conflict in Everyday Use

Dee vs. Maggie over heritage and the quilts

What did Dee change her name to?

Wangero

Why did Dee change her name?

She rejects her given name as tied to opresssion

Symbolism of Dee changing her name

to redefine her identity and reclaim African roots

Deeper meaning of the name change

her identity of performative and disconnected from lived experience

Description of Maggie

shy, scarred, humble; lives her heritage daily

Description of Dee

confident, educated, assertive; lives her heritage as aesthetic

What does the quilt symbolize

family history, tradition, and lived heritage

Why does Dee want the quilts?

to display them as art objects

Why should Maggie get the quilts?

she will use them as intended (everyday use)

What is the theme of Heritage

heritage is lived through daily life, not performance

What is Mama’s decision

She gives the quilts to Maggie

Overall message of Everyday Use

authentic cultural connection requires humility and continuity

What is Vincent’s Background?

Half Puerto Rican, half Irish

What is the central situation in The Ingredient

Vincent tries to get with Magda and discover his identity

What is Vincent’s motivation for dating Magda

Acceptance, belonging, romance

What does Magda represent?

Cultural authenticity and validation

What is the symbol of the title “The Ingredient?”

An authentic cultural marker Vincent believes he lacks

What does Vincent think he’s missing?

Enough “real” Hispanic identity

Who is Vincent’s friends who dates Magda?

Bob

Bob’s role in The Ingredient

Represents cultural ease (even though he is not hispanic) and unquestioned belonging

What is ironic about Bob?

Vincent feels less authentic than his white friend

Overall message of the Ingredient

Cultural identity is lived, complex, and not earned through performance

What is the context of Snows of Kilimanjaro?

Two people, Helen and Harry, are on a Safari in Africa and Harry is dying due to an infection in his leg, interrupted by memories

What do the use of flashbacks signify

Reveals Harry’s unwritten stories and regrets

What do the italicized sections represent?

Harry’s memories and lost artistic potential

Symbol of Kilimanjaro

ideal purity, artistic truth, and spiritual transcendence

Symbol of snow

cleanliness, immortality, and perfection

Symbol of the Gangrene

moral and creative decay

Symbol of the Hyena

Death and impending doom

What does the Leopard showcase?

Striving for greatness and ambition

Theme of Regret

Harry regrets wasting his artistic talent

theme of death

death forces honest self-reflection

Conflict with Helen

Externalizes Harrys inner guilt and resentment

Illusion vs. Reality in Snows of Kilimanjaro

the plane flying over them symbolizes imagined redemption

What happens in the ending of Snows of Kilimanjaro

Harry dies due to his leg infection

What is Sonny’s Blues about?

present day events interrupted by memories of the brothers’ past

Symbol of music in Sonny’s Blues

expression of suffering, survival, and identity

symbol of darkness

suffering, addiction, racial oppression, emotional isolation

Symbol of light

understanding, redemption, reality

What does the revival scene of Sonny’s blues showcase

music as communal healing

What was sonny addicted to

herion and was in jail for the use and sellng it

what was the brother’s initial view of Sonny

judgmental fearful, emotionally distant

Theme of suffering in Sonny’s blues

pain is unavoidable, but can be transformed

Theme of communication in Sonny’s blues

true understanding requires listening, not control

Theme of brotherhood

connection is rebuilt through empathy

What does the trembling cup represent?

biblical allusion symbolizing suffering and grace

What is the irony in sonny’s blues

sonny’s failure (music) becomes his salvation

What is significance of the Sonny’s blues ending

the narrator achieves emotional understanding, not resolution

Overall message of Sonny’s blues

freedom comes from bearing witness to others’ pain