Dirty whirlwind.

Abstract

My thesis is a collection of short stories. Most were written in workshop with the members of my committee, and the others I wrote for the purpose of inclusion in this thesis. The principal statement I wish to convey through this collection is that of the inherent complexity and incomprehensibility of life. Human experience is a seemingly random conglomeration of the real and the fantastical, the magical and the mundane, and above all, life is persistent and unstoppable. Each independent story in this collection presents a different, particular example of such life, and the individual's struggle to make sense of his or her personal situation. It is my hope that the metaphor contained within the titular story explains and encapsulates what it is I mean to say. The stories vary in order to better present the main focus of each tale. Most of the included works are told from a first person narrator's point of view. Other pieces, such as Lepidopterosis and New Mexico Morning, possess a close third person voice. My influences for these stories are Ernest Hemingway, Stephen King, Robert Haas, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.