Date of Award
5-2014
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Legacy Department
English
Committee Member
Keith Morris, Committee Chair
Committee Member
Dr. Cameron Bushnell
Committee Member
Dr. Jillian Weise
Abstract
This creative thesis consists of two short stories centered on implications of immigration and uprooting: the possible loss of control and the self, and as a result, existing solely as a body in transit, all of which may lead to a threat of violence. Both stories discuss the immensely radical act of migration, but are set in different landscapes (Polish and American) in order to explore the issue from two different viewpoints: that of someone returning to a place they had left, and that of a person living on still foreign soil. The issue of movement is especially important in today’s global, connected society, which nonetheless is conducive to the alienation and stigmatization of migrants. While these stories do not offer any solution, they are meant as a discussion of the experience so that the scope of influence a decision to move initiates may be evident. The auxiliary document also touches on the issue of otherness in the work of Joyce Carol Oates and a recent Polish film, Pokłosie, both of which discuss the strained relationship between the Jewish and Polish identities and the places where they intersect.
Recommended Citation
Pekalak, Justyna Anna, "Acquiescence: Stories" (2014). All Theses. 2507.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/2507