Short Story Collection Discussion Questions

Select a story to view the corresponding discussion questions.

Hearts and Hands

Markheim

Rip Van Winkle

Taming the Bicycle

The Black Cat

The Children of the Zodiac

The Duplicity of Hargraves

The Gift of the Magi

The Little Match Girl

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Hearts and Hands

1. What is the surprise twist at the end of the story?
2. Why would an officer not handcuff a prisoner to his right hand?
3. In literature, the West has often symbolized freedom, escape, a place to reimagine oneself. Does it still carry that connotation today? Where would you go to recreate yourself?

Markheim

1. Who do you think Markheim was talking to before he announced his crime to the maid?
2. Markheim's life followed a downward slide from petty crimes to murder, and he realized he was incapable of change. Do you believe that we are who we are, or can we change?
3. Markheim originally doesn't want to give his girlfriend a looking glass as a gift. Why? Do you agree with him that a looking glass only reveals those things we wish to keep hidden?

Rip Van Winkle

1. Even though Rip Van Winkle was a failure as a farmer, he was a good human being. What do think are his best qualities?
2. If you fell asleep today and awakened 20 years from now, what are 5 questions you would immediately ask?
3. What does this story teach us?

Taming the Bicycle

1. This story is a humorous retelling of the narrator's struggle to learn to ride a high–wheeled bicycle. What are some of the things in the story you found funny?
2. Do you remember learning to ride a bike? Did you have similar struggles? Have you struggled to learn something else?
3. At different points in the story, Twain notes that sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you end up doing the exact opposite thing of what you intended. Does this happen to you?

The Black Cat

1. Do you agree with the narrator that dogs are more loyal than men? What are your experiences with pets?
2. The narrator claims that Perverseness is one of the primitive impulses of the human heart, and that we do stupid and horrible things just because we know we shouldn't. Do you agree with this assessment?
3. Explain how the narrator is found out in his murderous crimes. How is the ending poetic justice?

The Children of the Zodiac

1. This story is told as a parable. What do you take to be the moral of the story?
2. Leo and Virgo discover the power of laughter. How important is laughter in your life?
3. What does it signify that the bull didn't like ploughing the fields, but when he time came, he looked back with pride at how straight his furrows were?

The Duplicity of Hargraves

1. How was Hargraves duplicitous? Do you think he behaved badly towards Major Talbot?
2. What do you make of Hargraves' acting ability?
3. Describe Major Talbot. Do you like him?

The Gift of the Magi

1. Why does the narrator compare Jim and Della to the Magi, the wise men who brought gifts to pay homage to the baby Jesus?
2. Do you think it is possible to be emotionally happy during financial struggles?
3. Was selling their most valuable possessions to buy frivolous gifts for the other foolish, or was it a sign of true love?

The Little Match Girl

1. Is there any importance that the story takes place on New Year's Eve?
2. The story is built around the idea of opposites. What opposite images, symbols, and themes do you see?
3. How did you feel at the end of the story? Were you sad because of her death, or were you happy she left for a better place?