Short Story Collection Discussion Questions

Select a story to view the corresponding discussion questions.

A College Vagabond

A Jug of Sirup

Charon

Miss Brill

The Cats of Ulthar

The Life and Adventures of Calamity Jane

The Little Mermaid

The Yellow Wallpaper

What Was It?

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A College Vagabond

1. Alexander Wells was the product of a college education, but he preferred activities that didn't require this education. Society now encourages all young adults to attend college, but should they?
2. This story pays homage to the West, with its wide open spaces and relaxed social standards. Does the West of today live up to this idyllic picture? What makes the western U.S. different than the eastern U.S.?
3. What does this story say about the relationship between children and parents? How do you think parenting has changed since you were parents?

A Jug of Sirup

1. The last line of the story notes that the facts in the story were taken from the unpublished works of a local historian. Does knowing this make you reconsider the veracity of the facts in the story?
2. Would you go into a building that you suspected was haunted?
3. Why does Bierce choose Alvan Creede to be the character that first experiences the ghost of Deemer?

Charon

1. Are you familiar with the Greek and Roman myths of Charon? He ferried souls of the newly deceased across the rivers Styx and Acheron to get to the underworld. Are there other Greek or Roman myths you know?
2. What do you think happened on Earth to send the dead by the thousands to Charon?
3. After learning that he has ferried the last man, why does Charon smile and weep?

Miss Brill

1. This story employs a "before and after" structure. In the "before"part of the story, where is Miss Brill? What does she think? How does she feel? In the "after" part of the story, what has changed?
2. Describe Miss Brill's relationship to her fur coat. How does it symbolize her life?
3. At the end of the story, Miss Brill is crying. Why?

The Cats of Ulthar

1. Did you find it odd how passive the town of Ulthar was towards the cat-killing cotter and his wife? Would you be passive or confront them if they had killed your cat?
2. This story imagines cats to be plotting, vengeful creatures. What other human abilities and emotions do you imagine cats would have?
3. Who is more worthy of fear: the gypsies or the cotter and his wife?

The Life and Adventures of Calamity Jane

1. List the ways Calamity Jane was a true trailblazing woman.
2. A "calamity" is a disastrous event that causes great damage and distress. How is this an appropriate nickname for Calamity Jane? What would your nickname be?
3. Can you imagine a life full of adventure like hers was? How are our lives different now? Are the changes better or worse?

The Little Mermaid

1. Is this story like other fairy tales? What are the traditional elements of a fairy tale?
2. Do you feel sympathy for the little mermaid, or do you think she was foolish and selfish?
3. Andersen creates a rich world below the surface of the ocean that we can't see. What other worlds might exist just out of our perception? Name other magical worlds created by authors.

The Yellow Wallpaper

1. By the end of the story, what has happened to the woman?
2. Describe the setting of the story. How does it add to the story? Is it important that their bedroom was a nursery?
3. Looking at this story through a modern lens, what do you suppose was wrong with the woman? Did her husband, the doctor, unintentionally contribute to her malady?

What Was It?

1. What do you think is the greatest element of terror? What ways are horror or terrifying situations typically presented in books and film?
2. What is the scariest book or movie you have read or viewed?
3. By the end of the story, did you experience some sympathy or sadness on the account of the ghoul?