Thesis Prepared for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS【翻译】

Gollahon, Catherine. “Unclean Slates: Stories.” Master of Arts (Creative Writing), December 2016, 114 pp. Unclean Slates: Stories is a collection of seven short stories that comments on the nature of family ties, and how such ties help form a sense of identity. Each story focuses on a separate protagonist, all of whom strive for a new beginning or an escape from some aspect of their current lives. The short story cycle of this collection is held together not by place or characters,
but ultimately by the theme of wishing for a new beginning: they share a desire to fix some
dissatisfying element of their lives. Mostly from the point of view of blue-collar characters leading mundane middle-class lives, these stories provide commentary on what it means to run
from the conditions that make up one’s sense of identity. Most of the revelations formed
throughout these stories lead to a sense of acceptance of these conditions, and an understanding that family and history make up part of human consciousness. While the specific locations presented in these stories are not necessarily the same, each story seeks to focus on a location
that proves to be fundamental to the makeup of the protagonist. The cities and geographic locations themselves are not as important as the specifics: the schools, diners, lakes, and so forth
where these characters find themselves contemplating their disillusionment about where their lives have brought them. Facing everything from post-partum depression to simply missing out on a career opportunity, these characters all experience a sense of loss that brings them together in a way that is recognizable to the reader as the collection progresses.
Copyright 2016 by Catherine Gollahon ii
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
MAKINGS OF MOTHERHOOD .................................................................................................. 1
CHINESE TRUFFLES ................................................................................................................. 14
DANI, WHO ALWAYS COMES BACK .................................................................................... 31
PROFOUND SILENCE................................................................................................................ 50
RESCUE VOLUNTEERS ............................................................................................................ 70
USABLE SPACE.......................................................................................................................... 83
MOUTH WORDS ...................................................................................................................... 100

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