| A creative, book-length work of fiction written at the end of the 20 th Century, this dissertation invariably converses in narrative concerns common to contemporary fiction, such as character point of view, plot and theme; however, in a narrower focus, specific issues of story and story telling and their relations to personal identity are examined through the maturation of a protagonist. As members of any society, we witness events common to a percentage of the whole but the meaning assigned to the common event may vary for each individual. For example, an automobile accident is a single event; however, every party involved, whether it be the drivers, passengers or bystanders, has the opportunity interpret the event through the creation of a “story” within his or her head. Although the initial event is the same, the meaning attached to the event can become extreme. Culpability and the recollection of facts may shift. These stories surrounding an event coagulate into a matrix of heavy interdependency, creating a general cloth of meaning. Hearing one story juxtaposed against another, or against a preexisting disposition, creates a new unique story, they become interconnected. In this sense, all stories are one. This dissertation examines the dynamic relationship between story and the ongoing development of identity. |
