Concepts and Social Reflection in the Short Stories Winning the Phan Waen Fa Award in 2023

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to analyze (1) the concepts in the short stories winning the Phan Waen Fa Award in 2023 and (2) the social reflections in the short stories winning the Phan Waen Fa Award in 2023, titled “Kan Prakot Tua Khong Ngao Dam Khang San Chao”, which consists of 13 stories. The findings revealed four major concepts, arranged in descending order as follows: social concepts were found most frequently in 5 stories (38.46%), followed by political concepts in 4 stories (30.77%), family concepts in 2 stories (15.38%), and cultural and belief concepts in 2 stories (15.38%). Regarding social reflections, six aspects were identified, totaling 55 instances, arranged in descending order as follows: social reflections on politics and government were found most frequently at 15 instances across 7 stories (27.27%), followed by reflections on family life at 14 instances across 10 stories (25.45%); reflections on livelihood and ways of life at 12 instances across 6 stories (21.82%); reflections on religion, culture, and traditions at 10 instances across 4 stories (18.18%); reflections on education at 3 instances across 3 stories (5.45%); and reflections on the economy were found least frequently at 1 instance in 1 story (1.82%). Notably, this literary work not only reflects the authors’ ideas and values, but also reveals the structure and realities of society in multiple dimensions, thereby enhancing readers’ awareness and fostering a deeper understanding of the relationship between literature and society.