Keywords

Fiction, Short Stories, Abandonment, Suburbs, Loss, Bigfoot, Inappropriate Desires

Abstract

Trackers is a collection of short stories that attest to the oddities and complexities found even in the non-exotic middle-class American suburbs. The characters in these stories experience disappointments that result from the physical and emotional distancing of families. In "Tokens," a woman's attempts at revenge on her cheating husband are unsatisfying because she ends up feeling more alone than before. In "Trackers," eleven-year old Richard hunts for Bigfoot as he and his family cope with the emotional aftermath of his sister's suicide attempt. In these stories people struggle to maintain normalcy in their lives--sometimes through inappropriate means. When their expectations are destroyed, they are forced to deal not only with specific abandonment, but also the reality that the world around them has no knowledge--let alone appreciation--of their personal struggles or fears. Occasionally, however, some good can come from this realization. In "Camilla," a ten-year-old girl learns that she can depend on her own experiences for strength rather than knowledge borrowed from fantasies inspired by a collection of obituaries. A woman recovering from the loss of a romantic relationship strengthens her bond with her young niece in "Cattywampus," and they are both strengthened by the world they share as women in different stages of self-discovery.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2004

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Hubbard, Susan

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

English

Degree Program

English

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0000242

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0000242

Language

English

Release Date

January 2005

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

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