Perspectives

To engage in a broader discussion about “Streamlining” by Muli Amaye we recommend that you put the short story in perspective by looking at current issues, literary period, and similar fictional works.

Current issues

“Streamlining” by Muli Amaye is a contemporary story that explores the universal topic of family relationships (the impact of one’s upbringing on one’s adult life) in a modern context. The story shows that some parents tend to have preferences among their children and that parents’ attitude can scar people for a long time,...

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Literary period

The short story belongs to the postmodernist genre of literature. Postmodernism is a literary movement that developed after WWII and which focuses on post-WWII society; on issues related to our modern, post-industrial world. As “Streamlining” focuses on family relationships in a contemporary context and follows ordinary characters, the text is postmodernist in its theme and approach.

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Works with the same theme

For the theme of family relationships, you might find it useful to also consider stories like “Lost Boys” by Deborah Moggach, “Joe” by Peter Carey, and “The Shape of a Star” by Jen Knox.

“Lost Boys” explores aspects related to parental neglect following a female narrator who is married to the son of a painter. The narrator admires her mother-in-law and cannot understand her...

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