The objective of this thesis is to analyze the short stories written during the period of 1995-1999 in terms of content, form and the social contexts that influenced those stories. The study shows that the short stories written during the years 1995-1999 reflect significant social problems, namely those concerning the family, children and the elderly, prostitutes, career life, urban life, poverty, environment changes, bureaucracy, business and the economy. In terms of literary techniques, it is found that symbols are used to present the values and beliefs that affect the family, the local creeds that are being threatened and the lack of freedom of people in the society. The settings convey the atmosphere of fear and violence that are a menace to children and the picture of the communities responding to progress and succumbing to materialism, and the exploitation of natural resources by the process of development. In these short stories, authors variously satirize red tape bureaucracy and people’s aspiration to become government officials; the urban life with its hardship, hastiness, materialism and unemployment; and the onward march of progress into the countryside, the assessment of the poor by the rich and environmental destruction. The research shows that the technique of stream of consciousness is used to portray the feeling of oppression experienced by people in the society. In terms of ending, it is found that most short stories end with the failures of the characters at maintaining their common sense and morality and at coping with the situations they are facing, their fellow human beings, their fates and their social surroundings. On the other hand, most happy endings are found in short stories with children as main characters. This clearly indicates the hope that the authors find in children.
