The Witnesses: Stories About Childhood
Date
2014-05
Authors
Collins, Emily
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Abstract
"The Witnesses" is a collection of four short stories that explore the complexities of the mother-child relationship. Each story is told from the perspective of a girl on the cusp of puberty who must come to terms with the pathology of her family regardless of how subtle these disturbances may be. Although the characters vary in time and place, the harsh realities that stem from an absent mother figure persists. Each story takes place in a different part of Texas but it is the emotional plot of the stories, not the consequences of a particular setting that takes precedence. In other words, I believe that the events that occur could happen anywhere, but it is the emotional impact that feels so familiar. There are, however, elements of these stories that adhere to the Southern gothic tale including a fascination with the grotesque resonate of the stories of authors such as Flannery O'Connor and Carson McCullers.
Description
Keywords
short stories, mother-child relationship, mothers, daughters
Citation
Collins, E. (2014). The witnesses: Stories about childhood. Honors College, Texas State University.