Advisory Committee Chair
Kerry Madden
Advisory Committee Members
Jim Braziel
Sue Kim
Bruce McComiskey
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
2011
Degree Name by School
Master of Arts (MA) College of Arts and Sciences
Abstract
The subject of fathers and roles of fatherhood are ever present in virtually every facet of literature, no matter the culture or time period. From the Judeo-Christian myth of Adam's reluctant fatherhood of mankind to the cruel passivity and apathy of Jason Compson III in Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury, the role of father has been an archetype as readily accessible in reality as it is in fiction. This thesis, a story in the vein of Southern gothic literature, focuses on the relationship of a man struggling with those reflections of himself as a man in the present day and his seeming inability to escape the boy of his past. While nurturing those familiar patriarchal themes, the story seeks to illuminate the past as a sort of catalyst for present day worry and self-doubt in the main character. Forced to return to the place of his childhood and adolescence after the suicide of his best friend, the main character is immediately confronted by the experiences of his transition from child to adult. Ultimately, the main character must decide whether those experiences have been adequately buried by his present day choices, or if they remain the undead memories that still haunt his every move.
Recommended Citation
Dick, Jonathan K., "Ghosts of the American Abram" (2011). All ETDs from UAB. 1520.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/1520