Classic Short Stories: Summaries of Maugham, Saroyan, Lawrence, and O. Henry

Four Classic Short Stories: Plot and Thematic Analysis

Mabel by W. Somerset Maugham: Plot Summary

At a club in a village on his way to Pagan, the narrator is told the story of George, a local man. George had met Mabel in England, and they had agreed to marry in six months; however, difficulties extended this period to seven years.

On the day she was finally arriving, George felt he could not marry a woman he practically did not remember, so he wrote a letter for her and fled. His escape led him across Asia, but wherever he arrived, there was news that Mabel was following him. When he finally felt safe, Mabel arrived. She expressed how relieved she was to see he had not changed, as it would have otherwise been difficult to tell him she would not marry him. Despite this declaration, they were married five minutes later. Now, Mabel is on a trip, and George misses her.

The Barber’s Uncle by William Saroyan: Themes of Loneliness

An eleven-year-old boy decides to have his hair cut after a bird attempts to nest in it. The barber, a wise man who shares the boy’s love for contemplating the paradoxical nature of the world and humanity, tells him the story of his uncle, Misak.

Misak spent his life fighting people until he lost his strength. At the age of forty, poor and lonely, he traveled the world and joined a touring show where he performed a dangerous act: putting his head inside a tiger’s mouth. Tragically, the tiger eventually bit his head off. The boy leaves the barber’s shop with a poor haircut but a profound reflection on human loneliness and the contradictory nature of reality.

D.H. Lawrence’s The Rocking-Horse Winner: Tragedy and Fate

Paul, a young boy, constantly hears his mother lamenting that their family is unlucky. Throughout their house, he perceives the persistent, echoing need for more money. Determined to reverse this misfortune, Paul seeks winning horse race names from his rocking-horse, a secret he shares with his uncle and the gardener.

Paul manages to accumulate a large sum of money for his mother, but the financial pressure only intensifies. The obsession with winning more money leads him to a fatal brain fever. His mother is ultimately left with 80,000 pounds but has lost her son.

O. Henry’s Springtime on the Menu: A Romantic Twist of Fate

Sarah, a copy-typist, earns her daily meals by typing the menus for a local restaurant. She eagerly awaits spring because Walter, a young farmer she met the previous summer, promised they would marry when the season arrived. However, the weather remains cold, and Walter has not written in two weeks.

While typing the menus, Sarah daydreams about the farm, recalling a moment when Walter placed dandelions in her hair. She begins to cry upon seeing a dish featuring dandelions on the menu, leading her to mistype its name as: ‘Dearest Walter with hard-boiled egg’. This emotional mistake, combined with a known issue with her 'W' key, proves crucial. Walter happens to visit the restaurant and recognizes the unique error, enabling him to find Sarah, who had moved and was previously unreachable.