Short Story Collection Discussion Questions

Select a story to view the corresponding discussion questions.

A Desperate Adventure

In the Virginia Room

The Assassins Club

The Black Hand

The Chicken

The Coin of Dionysus

The Green Stone God

The Purloined Letter

The Redhill Sisterhood

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A Desperate Adventure

1. Would you enjoy taking a ride in a hot air balloon? How about other types of flying?
2. What kind of a man is Captain Cowgill? Do you admire him or not?
3. What does this story teach us about happiness?

In the Virginia Room

1. Are there any circumstances that would force you to cut a child out of your life?
2. The differences between Mrs. Desborough and her son-in-law in the story can be read to symbolize the conflict between the North and the South. What does the grandson represent?
3. Shocking coincidences occur in this story that alter the lives of all the characters. What are those coincidences? Have any coincidences had a big impact on your life?

The Assassins' Club

1. Astro often refers to genuine Evil as something that happened in the past, and questions if it survives in the present. Can you think of things that would indicate it still survives today?
2. Describe the character of Astro. Consider his name, his clothing, and his actions. Is he a stereotypical detective?
3. How are traditional gender roles sometimes reversed in this story through Astro and Valeska?

The Black Hand

1. What caused the feud between the two men in the story? Was the feud between the men justified?
2. What about the two men being trapped under a fallen tree caused them to chart a course toward friendship and end the feud?
3. An interloper is some person, or perhaps a thing, involved in a place or situation where they are not wanted. List all the interlopers in this story.

The Chicken

1. Philo Gubb stories are always humorous mysteries. Can you explain how the author uses storytelling elements to create humor?
2. Did you ever own chickens? How about other farm animals or pets?
3. What do you think really happened to Mrs. Smith's chicken?

The Coin of Dionysius

1. Do you have any collections? Are any of them valuable?
2. Which is your sharpest of the 5 senses, and which is sense is your dullest? Which sense do you wish was better than it is now?
3. The two main characters of the story have both changed their names because of their pasts. If you could pick a new name for yourself, what would it be?

The Green-Stone God and the Stockbroker

1. Could you fake devotion to another if deep down you really didn't love him or her, like Mr. Vincent did with his wife?
2. Love was the motive for Mr. Vincent murdering his wife. What are the other usual motives to commit murder?
3. Is there any symbolism in the idol being a "green-god" idol?

The Purloined Letter

1. What methods has the Prefect of Police used to find the stolen letter? How thorough is he? how "scientific" is his analysis? Why does he fail to solve the crime?
2. What do you make of the references to mathematicians and poets in the story? How are they relevant?
3. What do you think was written in the letter?

The Redhill Sisterhood

1. How might Loveday been more effective as a detective in this case than a man would have been?
2. At what point in the story, if any, did you begin to suspect that the Sisters weren't the criminals?
3. What detective skill proved to be most important in solving this case?