Half and Half

Abstract

This thesis is a collection of short stories that I wrote and rewrote between my time as an undergraduate at Knox College and my time as a graduate student at UMKC. These stories were picked over other fictional works because I believe they present the best display of my skills as a writer. Each story is meant to examine the human reaction in various situations, whether in real life or with a dash of something magical, and how they deal with what happens. The goal of this thesis was to collect all the experiences of the characters to deliver a range of moments the reader can identify with. The thesis is actually split in two regarding the type of stories in it. On one hand, you have literary fiction that examines the lives of regular adults and how they interact with the world. On the other hand, we have more ‘young adult’ fiction that touches on the going-ons of young people. The young adult may not be as ‘mature’ as the literary fiction, but regardless of the genre both sets of characters face real life problems that may not have the happiest solutions. As such, there is a sense of worry about what comes next throughout each piece. Yet to counter the fear is their want for things to be all right and how they work to achieve such peace. This collection is about that while pain and hardships are inevitable, you do have the ability to change and endure.