The Jockey. Illustrated

The Jockey by Carson McCullers is a brief yet striking short story that distills the author’s recurring themes of alienation, unspoken desire, and quiet emotional violence. Written early in McCullers’s career, the story demonstrates her remarkable ability to suggest deep psychological tension within a deceptively simple narrative.

Set around a racetrack, the story centers on a young jockey and the silent, unsettling relationship between him and an older man who observes him with an intensity...