Moonflowers and Other Stories
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University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2007 Moonflowers And Other Stories Sarah Bethany Prevatt-Harris University of Central Florida Part of the Creative Writing Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Prevatt-Harris, Sarah Bethany, "Moonflowers And Other Stories" (2007). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 3305. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/3305 “MOONFLOWERS” AND OTHER STORIES by SARAH BETHANY PREVATT-HARRIS B.A. University of Central Florida, 2005 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in the Department of English in the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Fall Term 2007 ABSTRACT “Moonflowers” and Other Stories is a collection of short stories focusing on complex relationships among characters who are estranged from their families and their pasts; some seek to reestablish connections, while others decide to simply walk away. All of the stories are set in Florida. In “Stained Glass,” Abby returns home after seventeen years to help care for the father who disowned her. In “Blue Green Red,” Melaney is compelled to find her brother after years of lying about his existence. Selina, the protagonist of “Fatty Walsh” is so embarrassed by her family she will not tell her friend Alucia where she lives, although she must ultimately choose between her younger brother and her friendship with Alucia. All of the stories in this thesis find characters desiring to establish or restore relationships despite past mistakes and grievances, evidence of their innate longing for human connection. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I would like to thank Susan Hubbard for reading revision after revision of the stories in this thesis and for never failing to offer encouragement and invaluable feedback. I would also like to thank the members of my thesis committee, Jeanne Leiby and Terry Thaxton, for all of their help and advice over the past two and a half years. Many thanks to my parents, Gene and Heather, my sisters, Courtney and Whitney, and my husband, Jonathan, for being the “first readers” for these stories and for supporting me through this process. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS FROM JOHN GRISHAM TO ALICE MUNRO ............................................................................. 1 STAINED GLASS ........................................................................................................................... 7 HARVEST SEASON..................................................................................................................... 29 BLUE GREEN RED ...................................................................................................................... 46 ORANGE BLOSSOMS ................................................................................................................. 66 Galoshes ..................................................................................................................................... 66 Carbon Dioxide .......................................................................................................................... 68 Sweet Feed ................................................................................................................................. 70 The Driskill ................................................................................................................................ 72 Moccasins .................................................................................................................................. 74 Frond Flowers ............................................................................................................................ 75 Blue ............................................................................................................................................ 77 Blind Spot .................................................................................................................................. 79 Leo ............................................................................................................................................. 81 Orange Blossoms ....................................................................................................................... 84 ESPÍRITU SANTO ........................................................................................................................ 86 EIGHTY-SIX ................................................................................................................................. 98 MOONFLOWERS ....................................................................................................................... 114 WIND CHIMES .......................................................................................................................... 132 FATTY WALSH ......................................................................................................................... 146 CONVERSATIONS IN ROOM 201 ........................................................................................... 167 CANNON BEACH ...................................................................................................................... 178 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................ 193 iv FROM JOHN GRISHAM TO ALICE MUNRO Reading has always played a significant role in my life and in my writing life in particular. As a child, I read voraciously, and I believe that it was my love of reading that first inspired me to write. Growing up, I read a variety of authors, but I tended to focus on legal thrillers and suspense novels by authors such as John Grisham and Mary Higgins Clark. My selections molded my writing style: my early stories were marked by sensational plots, with very little attention paid to character development or concrete description. My taste in literature has changed notably over the years, from thrillers and suspense novels to literary novels and short fiction by authors such as Margaret Atwood, Stuart Dybek, and Alice Munro. One thing that has not changed, however, is the way other writers and works of literature influence my own writing. Many contemporary authors have shaped my current writing style, teaching me the power of carefully selected details and demonstrating the ability of complex, flawed characters struggling with everyday issues to connect with and move readers. When I began work on my thesis, I discovered that I naturally gravitated toward certain subjects. As a result, many of the stories in my thesis share similar themes: loneliness and connectedness, or characters' desires to connect or reconnect with people from their pasts. Relationships, particularly familial relationships, are complex; in several stories, characters must decide whether they will attempt to mend a relationship or whether they will simply walk away. "Eighty-Six," "Stained Glass," "Blue Green Red," and "Fatty Walsh" all portray protagonists who are faced with this decision. 1 Complex family relationships are common subjects in the works of Edna O'Brien, William Trevor, and Andre Dubus as well. The dramatic weight of O'Brien's story, "Storm," is found in the tension between a mother and her son, a tension that is ultimately ignored. Trevor's story "Coffee with Oliver" and "A Father's Story" by Dubus both feature fathers who long to reconnect with estranged children. These stories served as models for "Eighty-Six"; the fathers in all three stories struggle with the same basic conflict. In addition to complex family relationships, many of my stories include women who feel trapped, either by society, family, or their own choices, in a world in which they have little control over their lives. Margaret Atwood's works often share a similar theme; this is especially apparent in her novel The Edible Woman. In The Edible Woman, the protagonist is a woman who, in her attempts to be agreeable and avoid conflict, realizes that she is playing a role and will lose herself if she does not make a choice to stop trying to conform to society's expectations of her. Equally important in terms of theme was Alice Hoffman's work. Illumination Night portrays a mother whose panic attacks take her beyond figurative entrapment; she literally becomes unable to leave the house. Two of the stories in my thesis, "Cannon Beach" and "Conversations in Room 201," feature female protagonists who feel trapped and face similar dilemmas. Flannery O'Connor and F. Scott Fitzgerald also have had considerable influence on the content of my work, particularly in terms of theme. O'Connor's work often deals with the theme of "grace," with characters seeking to alleviate guilt for what they feel are "sins." "The Lame Shall Enter First" is a prime example. The protagonist, Sheppard, realizes at the end of the story that he has neglected his son, Norton, and with the intent 2 of "redeeming" himself, Sheppard rushes upstairs to promise Norton "he would never fail him again" (O'Connor 190). Upon arriving in the attic, Sheppard learns he is too late;