Hidden meaning in stories have been around since we have been able to make stories. Though throughout the years, they have progressed and so has the meaning behind them to fit the current society that it was written in. Short stories will almost always have more of a meaning behind them as since the plot will revolve around it. But what is the meaning to the short stories and do they reflect on the author's life who wrote the story? Take Richard Matheson and his short story known as "Duel" which revolves around a man named as Mann. In this story we see that there is multiple cases of deeper meaning in the story but exactly what are those cases? .
In the story, Mann is a travelling salesman who is married and has children. He is on his way to a deal which he views as very important but is side-winded but a truck who he views as a nuisance and wants to get in front of. But no matter how much he tries he fails every time since he speeds up and slows back down. As the story progresses we see how crazy it gets and he starts losing his mind just to beat this truck and get to the deal, though the same process repeats the same time again and again, it passes him. He eventually loses his mind and crashes the truck driver, killing him. What does the truck represent in the story? Could it be his wife since she rules the household and he should be the man of the house? Or is it simply his discontent with his life and it passes him.
In every single case it would represent his discontent, as he speeds up to pass the truck, yet when he does, he proceeds to slow down and let the truck pass him. And after that the truck will not let him pass anymore and the only time he does he almost dies by a passing vehicle and that vehicle can represent a multitude of things such as a problem and it almost got him killed such as the night before he left at the party and he did not stand up for his wife and he is not viewed as a man from that.