Abstract:
This thesis is a short story collection that follows a variety of characters as they are forced to
evaluate, re-evaluate, and reconcile the way they view themselves, others, and the world
around them. The collection’s fourteen stories re-imagine the coming-of-age story by
exploring the things we want and can’t have; the parts of ourselves we’re afraid to confront;
and the ways in which power is negotiated, (im)balanced, and obtained.
