Date of Graduation

Spring 2015

Degree

Master of Arts in English

Department

English

Committee Chair

Richard Neumann

Abstract

This thesis is an attempt to examine through a collection of short stories how combat affects military veterans' ability to reintegrate into a civilian culture that does not understand their experiences. My thesis consists of three stories that depict different reactions of US veterans to civilian life: "Sand and Ice,” "No Fault but Mine Own,” and "By No Means, Impervious.” These stories are based around a shared experience between the stories' respective protagonists, depicted in the opening story "Do I Have the Strength to Know How I'll Go?” The different reactions by the three protagonists illustrate that there is no universal war experience, but that this experience does have lasting effects. My objective was not to make a definitive statement on war in general or The War on Terror in specific, but to add perspective to the difficult conversation on the use of war as a problem-solving tool by engaging the reader with the realities that veterans face.

Keywords

war, home, loss, connection, breaking cycles

Subject Categories

English Language and Literature

Copyright

© Jason Edward Brown

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