I just can't go through another anthology...

October 25, 2008 2:38 PM

Short Story Suggestions: I need a short story for a specific lesson. Criteria inside.

I need a short story (no more than 12 pages) that has at least 4 main characters. I am teaching a lesson on characterization and need to have examples of 4 well-described people. The story should be appropriate for grade 10 students (no inappropriate subject matter or language). If the setting of the story is fairly obvious or is also explicitly described, that would be wonderful.

I have been going through old binders but I am finding nothing useful. Bonus points if the story is available somewhere online.

Many thanks in advance!

posted by gursky to media & arts (10 comments total)

Fitzgerald's Bernice Bobs Her Hair might work - lots of specific characterization in a short time, and the story is appealing to young teenagers. (We had a lot of fun with it in my tenth grade English class).
posted by moxiedoll at 3:10 PM on October 25, 2008

The Body by Stephen King (aka Stand By Me) is a novella so longer than what you're looking for but it has four main characters (told in first-person by one) and being a coming-of-age story would be good for 10th graders.
posted by headnsouth at 3:16 PM on October 25, 2008

This one got my brain turning. How about "Guests of the Nation" by Frank O'Connor? It's got the two English prisoners & the two Irish soldiers. Each one is fully characterized in about 10 pages. A bit of historical context may be needed, but it probably isn't out of the question for 10th graders. I haven't found it online, but I'm sure it's quite widely anthologized.
posted by .kobayashi. at 3:35 PM on October 25, 2008

A&P by John Updike is one of my favorite short stories. Sammy, Queenie, Lengel, Stokesie are all well described in a very short story.
posted by 26.2 at 3:38 PM on October 25, 2008

Doctor Heidegger's Experiment by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
posted by SaintCynr at 3:50 PM on October 25, 2008

The Open Boat by Stephen Crane. Has four characters: the Captain, the Cook, the Oiler and the Correspondent. He does a great job of sketching out their characters especially considering the four of them are in a boat and they talk about nothing except how to get to shore.
posted by marxchivist at 4:23 PM on October 25, 2008

The Outcasts of Poker Flat by Bret Harte. (I'm not sure what you count as "inappropriate" - there are a brothel owner, a gambler, a drunkard, and a prostitute - but it's not explicit by any means! I read it in grade 11 with no terrible repercussions.)
posted by punchdrunkhistory at 7:20 PM on October 25, 2008

I'd second Guests of the Nation for its power, but depending on what method of description you are looking for, might also suggest some Arthur Conan Doyle. The Sherlock Holmes tales are fun and, obviously, are strongly description dependent.
A&P does have the advantage of being about a teen with a, perhaps, more recognizable situation for other young teens. Also, if I remember correctly, the descriptions come from the viewpoint of the main character rather than a omniscient narrator which might be more suitable to your purpose.
(This isn't to knock the other suggestions, I'm just not as familiar with them.)
posted by mr.grum at 10:54 PM on October 25, 2008

The Body by Stephen King (aka Stand By Me) is a novella so longer than what you're looking for but it has four main characters (told in first-person by one) and being a coming-of-age story would be good for 10th graders.

It also has wildly inappropriate language.
posted by Bookhouse at 9:05 AM on October 26, 2008

I read Different Seasons for grade 9 English. It has the same loss of innocence themes common to early high school English. I don't remember strong language specifically but there are definitely mature themes. The stories are great. Three of the novellas have been made into movies. (Stand by Me, Shawshank Redemption and Apt Pupil if I recall correctly).

I suppose the availability of movie versions might hurt your cause, although I remember using the movies and novellas as source for a comparative analysis. I am a keener.

Good luck!
posted by KevCed at 8:43 PM on November 1, 2008