Abstract:
During the semester as I wrote and revised this collection of stories, I was not concerned with finding a common theme that tied all the stories together. If fact, I gave it little thought until I was in the final stages of my thesis and a theme began to emerge. At first I thought maybe I was looking too hard, but I now consider that myself as a person comes through in my work. I almost expect to find ideas that link from one story to the next because they are all a part of me. Perhaps the idea that they were all written at a similar time in my life brings about this connection. I do not know.The four stories I included here all share the idea that people are not always as we think they are. Even those people we are close to and know for years are often full of surprises. Also, it is easy to misjudge someone we do not know and jump to conclusions about him or her as seen in "The Barn Swallow." Another idea is that most of the stories in some way deal with a character leaving.I did not realize this until I was concentrating on finding connections. This idea I think stems from my fear of losing those I love. I fear this because I feel that in losing them, if not all, a part of me will be alone. All the understanding I share with a particular person is lost if they leave. In losing them, I lose a part of myself.While I wrote, I occasionally thought about my own life and how just during this past semester I have discovered more about myself. This change was not brought about solely by myself. I have been greatly affected by people I have come in contact with and those to whom I have recently grown close. This change has caused me to reevaluate my life and ask myself, "What do I really want?" There were times I was torn between two answers where neither one seemed entirely right, or even worse, both answers were ideal but I could only chose one. Looking back now, I think most of my decisions were for the best mostly because I have been a lot happier lately and feel understood by those who are important to me.Though I have created all the characters, I find it interesting that I can learn from the very people I created. Perhaps it is a meaning that only I as the writer can relate to, or maybe you as the reader will find something for yourself. I ask you to take from it whatever you find and make it your own, and if all you find is the enjoyment of reading a story, then either way I will feel I have succeeded.
