Gatsby and the Green Light

So, the last book we're going to do at school this year is The Great Gatsby.  I love this book, I really do, probably because I hated it so much when I read it for the first time back when I was in high school.  It wasn't until I read it again, long after my college graduation, that I got it--or got something anyway. 

That green light at the end of the dock? That "orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us.  It eluded us then, but that's no matter--tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther.  And one fine morning--So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."  That, my friends, is desire, that's yearning, that's 3 years of infertility in 3(ish) sentences.   It speaks to me.

Wonderful as Gatsby is, however, it is short, really short, and I'd like to round out the class with some short stories so I'm looking for recommendations.  Ideally, I'd like stories (appropriate for high school seniors) about yearning, about wanting something badly enough that you'd stake your whole future on it.  Ideally, I'd like pre-1950s stories, but if you've got something from the present day that fits the bill, don't be shy.   

Anyone?

Comments

[Sarah]

The one that immediately comes to mind is Joyce's "Araby." It certainly fits the "yearning" bill, as well as the pre-1950s and the appropriate-for-highschoolers bills ... if I think of more, I'll post again. Hope that helps!

[Abby]

I love Gatsby, too. And The Sun Also Rises ... but not everybody is a Hemingway fan.

Anyway ...

How about The Yellow Wallpaper? I'm not sure if you'd consider it appropriate for the students, or if it speaks to what you're looking for, but it's definitely a yearning for self-awareness, at any sort. Or so I think. It's one story I read in college that really spoke to me - especially as a woman.

[Beth]

A&P by John Updike. I think teenagers can really relate to this story.

[jlp]

Ok, this isn't a story, and despite the fact that it is a play, 160 pages is probably longer than you are looking for. Moreover, it's not pre-50's (though it's close). But I'll mention it anyway: A Raisin In the Sun. Talk about yearning.

[penelope]

Maybe too lame but high school English makes me think of O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi - there's also Maupassant's story (quite similar) The Necklace

[Annie]

Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "Eyes of a Blue Dog". Like the rest of his stuff, very lovely and non-linear. Might be something that your kids will like and haven't heard of before.

[Erica]

Very short, but with cool narrative structure, "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall" by Katherine Anne Porter. And I'll second Joyce's "Araby." Kate Chopin has some good stuff--"Miss Desiree's Baby," "The Kiss"--but maybe not for the end of the year? I love Stephen Crane, but probably too Naturalistic, huh? How about some good poetry? I'm thinking of my Moderns, but if _Gatsby_ is beyond today's 18 year olds (and I agree that it generally is), then "Prufrock" is, too.

[rhonda]

Erica, you read my mind with the Kate Chopin, but I was going to suggest "The Story of an Hour."

[wessel]

How about "The Beast in the Jungle" by Henry James? It is not just about yearning intensely for something, but about yearning for something that is right in front of you, only you are too dim-witted to see it until it is too late. Henry James may be a struggle for highschoolers--I don't know. I think an advanced class could do it fine.

[LizM]

I totally think "the yellow wallpaper" is appropriate for high school. I read it as a high school junior. It's does have a theme of yearning to escape the boundaries of "womanhood" at that time.

[Brooklyn Girl]

Brilliant suggestions all--many thanks. The kids have already done Raisin in the Sun, The Gift on the Magi, The Story of an Hour (love this one), and The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock so those are out, but I'll think on the others.

Any other thoughts?

[Theresa]

I'm not sure I've ever posted before - but literary questions always intrigue me. I know this is not pre-50's but the greatest short story writer I have ever read is Alice Munro. She is Canadian - in her seventies - and still writing. She often first publishes in Harper's. One of her earliest and best is "Lives of Girls and Women." I would highly recommend her short fiction - it is perfection.

[Thalia]

Also not pre 1950s but how about Jane Gardam? Re yearning, A long way from Verona is the story of yearning to be a writer, about disillusionment, with a bit of magical realism thrown in

[jewelly]

It doesn't quite fit your bill, but Vonnegut's collection of stories 'Welcome to the Monkeyhouse' has a great one called Harrison Bergeron. I remember reading it as a (very bored but bookwormish) high school senior and it really impacted me. I eventually read the whole book, but that remains the one that sticks out. There's a definite Brave New World dystopia thing to it; a society holding back its artists and its artists pursuing what they want anyway. Good luck as the school year winds down! How I miss summer vacations.

[jewelly]

It doesn't quite fit your bill, but Vonnegut's collection of stories 'Welcome to the Monkeyhouse' has a great one called Harrison Bergeron. I remember reading it as a (very bored but bookwormish) high school senior and it really impacted me. I eventually read the whole book, but that remains the one that sticks out. There's a definite Brave New World dystopia thing to it; a society holding back its artists and its artists pursuing what they want anyway. Good luck as the school year winds down! How I miss summer vacations.

[kate]

What about Steinbeck's "The Crysanthemums" (sp?)? Eliza (main charachter) is the epitome of someone who is yearning. I always read it thinking that she was infertile, coincidentally. It's one of my all time favorite short stories.

I also thought of "Hills Like White Elephants" by Hemingway. Such an amazing story.

Barbara Kingsolver has a great short story collection as well (Homeland and Other Stories). . .one of her shorts titled "Rose Johnny" makes me think about yearning and desire.

Good luck! Let us know what you decide.

[Amy]

It is all modern but I love The Best American Nonrequired Reading collection. There are several additions out now.

It is all unconventional, some experimental. Some real gems (sorry, don't have it in front of me to reference) and some duds but all interesting. It is aimed at young adults 15-25 roughly but I am older and really enjoyed the first two. Haven't read the 2004 one yet. the 2002 was edited by Dave Eggers, the 2003 by Zadie Smith.

Good luck,

[Jes]

I would like to suggest,
Jonathan Livingston Seagull Richard Bach
The Pearl John Steinbeck
I enjoyed these books at that age and still do.

[V]

"The Picture of Dorian Gray", Oscar Wilde in general has some wonderful short stories.

[Louise]

What about "The Rocking-Horse Winner" by D.H. Lawrence. I am not a Lawrence fan, studying him makes me want to burn books, but that is a brilliant short story. And odd, too, for the somewhat supernatural aspects of the story, something you don't see much of in modernist fiction.

You could also try Kafka's "Before the Law." Your students are at exactly the age when Kafka becomes interesting. And "Before the Law" is so short, you could easily squeeze it in.

Good luck, I look forward to seeing what you select.

[Louise]

Oh, and I second the Maupassant and the Updike.

[April]

I second The Story of an Hour and The Gift of the Magi.

[Jessica]

The Glass Menagerie by Tennesse Williams is good, even though it's a short play. I read this my junior year in high school.

[Terrill Salter]

A novelette. . . Steinbeck's _The Pearl_ . . . about getting what you desire at terrible cost.

[cat]

Agreed the first story that came to mind "The Yellow Wallpaper" full of yearning.

[Nicole]

Delurking - love the blog.

Three stories come to mind - all by Roald Dahl (yes, the same author who wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).

Wickedly entertaining short stories by him include: Lamb to the Slaughter, The Great Switcheroo, and Genesis and Catastrophe.

His humor is very twisted, but what would you expect from a man who invented Oompa Loompas?

[Erin]

As an English teacher, I say kudos to you for actually attempting to accomplish something at the end of the school year! One excellent short story on this subject (one that I've had a lot of success with) is "Paul's Case," by Willa Cather. Definitely pre-1950s, and all about the yearning. He longs to lead a different life, a better life, so badly that he kills himself when he realizes he can't have it. Amen as well to "The Story of an Hour." On the Roald Dahl front (love him), have you considered "A Fine Son"? Very short, but very powerful with the intense longing factor.

[Erin]

As an English teacher, I say kudos to you for actually attempting to accomplish something at the end of the school year! One excellent short story on this subject (one that I've had a lot of success with) is "Paul's Case," by Willa Cather. Definitely pre-1950s, and all about the yearning. He longs to lead a different life, a better life, so badly that he kills himself when he realizes he can't have it. Amen as well to "The Story of an Hour." On the Roald Dahl front (love him), have you considered "A Fine Son"? Very short, but very powerful with the intense longing factor.

[Anon]

Not sure if all of them are age appropriate, but what about Philip Roth's "Goodbye, Colombus" and the short stories included in the collection? "Conversion of the Jews" is still one of my favorites.

[maggieb]

I think there might be some appropriate short stories in "The Crown of White Feathers," collection by Isaac Bashevis Singer. Yearning for the unobtainable seems to be a central theme in many of these, and they are colorful,enjoyable tales.

[maggieb]

Whoops! It's me again. I think the collection above might be simply titled, "Crown of Feathers" Sorry.

[c]

I teach college freshman English. I have a lot of success with "The Lesson" by Toni Cade Bambara, which involves kids realizing what they don't have and then, to some ill-defined degree, wishing for it. I also love to teach Hemingway's short story "Soldier's Home," which is sort of about the opposite of yearning--a yearning to be uninvolved, disconnected, etc. Another great yearning story is Flannery O'Connor's "Parker's Back," which might closest relate to your idea. Fun question!

[Natalie]

I recommend Gogol's "The Overcoat."

[Melissa]

I am a big John Cheever fan. I would suggest "The Pot of Gold" for pure (unrequited) yearning and striving. The story of that cake of soap--getting brittler and staler by the year--still has the power to knock me over (I reread all his collected stories about once a year). Though I think the bulk of Cheever is probably too mature for highschoolers, I can imagine them 'getting' the characters in this story.

[Pam]

Who knew we were all Hep Infertile High School English Teachers? (Anybody want to add Phat?)
My recommendations: Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye. Risky, but sooo worth it.
Also, I used Bruce Springsteen lyrics. They read them, discuss them like poetry, and then we hear the song, which sparks a whole new level of conversation.
If you want earlier, how about Billie Holiday?

[NY Melissa]

"Girls on the Verge" by Vendela Vida. Each chapter is about a rite of passage for women (sorority rush, joining a gang, debs, etc) It is non fiction and a quick read. For the sorority rush chapter the author went undercover at UCLA to actually participate in the rush process. Read it even if you don't use it!!

[grumpygirl]

i'd go with kate chopin's "the awakening," even though it's a novella.

[Julia S]

"Winter Dreams" by F. Scott. It's perfect.

AND you can tell them your friend Julia came *this close* to buying the house he was staying in when he wrote it.

Now, where do I put these pancakes?

[mark]

One of my favorite short story writers is Breece DJ' Pancake, an excellent West Virginia writer who drew a lot of comparisons to Hemingway when his only collection of stories was published. "Trilobites" is about a young man who simultaneously feels tied to West Virginia and also yearns to escape the physical and economic restraints he faces there. The ending is beautiful.