Theses and Dissertations

Shifting Shadows

Date of Award

5-1-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Department

Creative Writing

First Advisor

Britt Haraway

Second Advisor

David Bowels

Third Advisor

Joe Noe

Abstract

This thesis presents a linked collection of stories centered on Bella, a working mom navigating the shifting terrain of anger, numbness, joy, and confusion. Shifting Shadows explores how uncertainty shapes her understanding of the world, and how surrender—spiritual, emotional, and practical—becomes a mode of survival rather than defeat. Bella’s reflections unfold in nonlinear fragments that mirror her internal disorientation, revealing a character more invested in interpreting the world around her than in defining herself. The structural component of the thesis comprises fragmented narratives and some poetic lines that explore spiritual passivity and emotional multiplicity that function in contemporary women’s lives and writing, and how Bella’s voice participates in a kind of memoir tradition that embraces ambiguity as a form of meaning-making.

Comments

Copyright 2026 Eloisa Mari Perales. All Rights Reserved. https://proquest.com/docview/3371131624

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