Advisor(s)

James Braziel

Committee Member(s)

Ashley Jones
Margaret Jessee

Document Type

Thesis

Date of Award

6-1-2026

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

School

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Arts & Humanities

Abstract

Whether we’d like to admit it or not, apples don’t fall very far from the tree. This expression was commonly used in my household growing up. Whenever my mom and I would say the same thing at the same time, my mom and Nana accidentally wore matching outfits to go shopping, or my Nana and I reacted the same exact way to news, “apples don’t fall far” would be said. The three of us have all lived very different lives, but are still extremely similar yet completely different. This creative-nonfiction work explores the generational threads between myself, my mother, and my maternal grandmother. The work’s main focus is our experiences with love, romance, and marriage, but other themes and topics are explored, such as divorce, motherhood, mother-daughter relationships and more. Each essay is written in first-person perspective and changes between myself, Bri; my mother, Dana; and my grandmother, Betty. The essays are not in chronological order, rather the essays are ordered based on theme, tone, and/or subject matter.

Keywords

creative nonfiction;family;inheritance;love;mother-daughter relationships

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