Short Story Collection Discussion Questions

Select a story to view the corresponding discussion questions

A Good Match

Beneath an Umbrella

Doctor Chevalier's Lie

Juanita

On the Divide

Psychology

The Broken Heart

The Lottery Ticket

The Ten Fairies

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A Good Match

1. The definition of irony is something that has a different or opposite result from what is expected. Can you identify two examples of irony in this story?
2. Have you ever been in love with someone who didn't feel the same way?
3. Even though the cadet was young and inexperienced in the ways of love, should he have known that Angelica would not want to marry him?

Beneath an Umbrella

1. Do you like the rain? What is your favorite kind of weather?
2. When the two lovers fall into flood waters, the narrator doesn't help them because he is only a "looker-on in life." Do you think you are a looker-on or someone who takes action?
3. At the end of the story, the narrator characterizes the world as "stormy and dismal." Do you agree with this characterization? He goes on to say that if we keep the faith, it will lead us "home." Where is home?

Doctor Chevalier's Lie

1. What was Dr. Chevalier's Lie?
2. Why do you think "Society" did not cut him off or cast him out?
3. Do you think honesty is always the best policy? Did Dr. Chevalier do the girl's family a favor by telling them a lie, or should he have been honest?

Juanita

1. Kate Chopin often focuses on themes related to women, like their revolt against conformity, or their search for self-discovery. What might Chopin be saying about women through the character of Juanita?
2. Can you describe Juanita's appearance? What about her husband's?
3. Juanita and her husband are quite different. Is it true that opposites attract?

On the Divide

1. The narrator says that "after a man has passed his fortieth birthday it is not easy for to change the habits and conditions of his life." Do you agree? Are there habits you cannot change, even though you've tried? Have you been successful later in life changing?
2. At the end of the story, why does Canute sob after Lena says that she would rather have him than her mother or father?
3. Why does Cather set the story in such a harsh environment, during a snowstorm?

Psychology

1. Do you think the playwright and writer are satisfied just being friends, or do they wish for more? Are they in love?
2. The playwright and author are both older, established in habits and routines, without passion. Would it have been easier for them to reveal their emotions if they had been younger?
3. Compare the nature of love when you are young, versus when you are older. What is love like when you are young? What is it like when you are older? Is love better at one time in life versus another time?

The Broken Heart

1. The narrator says that he believes in broken hearts, and that women, more than men, can die from this illness. Do you agree?
2. The narrator compares women to "some tender tree," and describes them as "delicate," and "meditative." To what would you compare a woman? How would you describe women?
3. In your experience, what are some ways to heal from a broken heart?

The Lottery Ticket

1. The longer Ivan contemplates a different life with the lottery ticket winnings, the more he begins to loathe the life he has. Do you think fantasizing about a different life provides a necessary break, or does it eventually cause more unhappiness?
2. Many people, like Oprah Winfrey, advocate for keeping a gratitude journal, where you jot down things you are grateful for each day. What are some things you are grateful for today?
3. We never get to know what Masha's fantasy was, or what about Ivan she ended up resenting. If you were Masha, what would you resent about Ivan?

The Ten Fairies

1. Elsa never had chores as a child. Besides teaching children how to care for themselves and a home, are there other valuable reasons for children to have chores?
2. What chores did you have as a child? What did you learn from them?
3. Consider how the maid followed Elsa's behavior. Do you believe that people rise or fall to the occasion depending on who leads them? Can you think of examples of this principle in your life?