The Red Ball
The central theme is about acceptance. The story starts with Bolan sitting in Woodford Square when one of the boys playing cricket invites Bolan to join them, however, he hesitates to do so due to being called “Thinny Boney”. Bolan finally agrees to join them in a game of cricket, by the end of the game, everyone agrees he’s a good bowler and invites him again for the following evening; he responds indefinitely by shrugging his shoulders to their invite. The next day Bolan takes the money inside the cigarette box and decides to buy a new leather ball prior to starting the game. When he did reach, he was amazed nobody had started the game without him. This proved to him that he was accepted long before he bought the new leather ball for the group.
The Young Couple
Here the central theme is independence. The story starts with Cathy and Naraian going back to India from England after their marriage. They had left England hoping that they would be the independent couple they were in England and would do many great things for the nation of India and for themselves. All their hopes were restricted due to the overprotective and overwhelming support extended towards the couple by Naraian’s family. Even though they were living lavishly with Naraian’s family’s help, Cathy remained adamant on her beliefs of being independent, however Naraian stopped pursuing that belief, instead turned into someone who depended entirely upon his family. At the end of the story the couple decide that their independence must be compromised in order to keep peace in the house.
Leela’s Friend
The central theme in Leela’s friend is the power Leela had over her parents.
From the beginning of the story itself Leela’s authority is displayed when her plea to hire Sidda was the deciding factor. Throughout the play Leela’s authority is displayed from when she demands Sidda’s immediate attention towards her when she felt like playing to interrogating her mother over Sidda’s disappearance. However, towards the end of the story, Leela’s authority is diminished when her parent’s realised that she was responsible for losing her Gold chain and not Sidda.
The Winter Oak
The central theme in The Winter Oak is the constant change in Anna Vasilevna’s attitude towards the children, especially towards Savushkin. At the beginning Vasilevna is very firm but respectful towards the students. When Savushkin arrived, Vasilevna is very mournful on his lateness. Towards the end Vasilevna is very reflective on her own attitude and realises how little she knows in reality.
