Short Story Collection Discussion Questions

Select a story to view the corresponding discussion questions.

A Mountain Woman

A Sketch of Mateship

After Twenty Years

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Araby

Confession

Facts Concering the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family

How the Whale Got His Throat

The Nice People

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A Mountain Woman

1. Is there a place that calls to you, like the four voices of the cataracts called to Judith?
2. Are you more like Judith, desperately in need of being in an environment that suits you, or are you more like Leroy, desperately needing to make sure others are happy?
3. What are some of the differences between city and country folks? Is one better than another? Is one more "American" than the other?

A Sketch of Mateship

1. Have you ever been to Australia? Would you like to go there?
2. Why didn't Bill get upset when Jim told him he lost all the money gambling and drinking?
3. Have you had friends, family, or coworkers who were unreliable and let you down, but you continued to remain loyal to them?

After Twenty Years

1. Explain why Jimmy had to find a plain clothes man to arrest Bob instead of doing it himself.
2. Listen to the story again, noticing the small details and word choice O. Henry uses to draw distinctions between the old friends. How is Officer Wells described? How is Silky Bob described?
3. What do you imagine Silky Bob's crimes were?

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

1. Did you expect the twist at the end of the story?
2. Have you ever experienced a time when you felt like you were losing your grip on reality?
3. A theme of this story is the fluid nature of time. Have you ever experienced time crawling by or passing in the blink of an eye?

Araby

1. In the last line of the story, the main character, filled with anguish, realizes he was a creature filled with vanity. What does he mean, when he uses the word vanity, and why does it fill him with anguish?
2. What is the craziest thing you have done for love?
3. How does the experience of love change as one ages? Is it feverish and all-consuming through the ages, like it is for the boy in the story? Or does it mellow and resemble something else, like friendship?

Confession

1. The hungry narrator, after failing to find food at the wealthier houses in Reno, finally decides to look for food at the homes of the very poor, because they never turn away the hungry. Can you explain this paradox, where the wealthy turn away those who are hungry, and those with the least to spare, never say no?
2. Is the narrator immoral and someone to look down upon, or is he just guilty of youthful foibles? Is there an age, or a level of criminality when we begin to judge people more harshly?
3. How do you think the kind woman would feel reading this? Would she, in fact, get a good laugh from the story? How would you feel if you were the woman?

Facts Concering the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family

1. Can you summarize exactly what horrific discovery caused Arthur Jermyn to set himself on fire?
2. In your family, are there any peculiar traits that have been passed down through generations?
3. The first sentence of the story remarks that life is a hideous thing. How is it a hideous thing in the story? How is it hideous in real life? How is it beautiful and sublime?

How the Whale Got His Throat

1. This story is told in the style of a myth. What are some characteristics of myths? Can you think of other myths?
2. Who do you think the audience is for this story?
3. Kipling uses several elements of language: repetition, rhyme, and personification, to name a few. What is its effect on the reader?

The Nice People

1. Until the Bredes are leaving the inn and rice flies out of Mrs. Brede's parasol, the other guests are suspicious of the couple. What does this story say about jumping to conclusions?
2. Do you attempt to see the best in people and try to give people the benefit of the doubt?
3. Do you think the Bredes were, in fact, nice people? Why or why not?