"End of October”: A Creative Piece
Poster Number
44
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
English
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Dustin M. Hoffman
Abstract
“End of October” is a short novelette in which narration and point of view are muddled in order to create a contemporary Southern Gothic story. Jack, a mortician and the central character, a man who has had limited interaction with the real world, becomes obsessed with the suicide of a local baseball hero. Trying to unravel the mysteries around Stephen Kohler’s death leads Jack to confront suppressed memories from his past, calling into question his relationship to his parents and to his sister. While the story spends most of its time tuned into Jack’s sensibilities (which become increasingly unreliable), there are sequences that tap into other characters in the town, showing how a small town mourns death. At the end, Jack is forced to synthesize all the lessons he has learned as a result of his misadventures in a twisted take on the traditional epiphany: the final image is of Jack and his sister holding hands as they agree to face the uncertain future together.
Honors Thesis Committee
Dustin M. Hoffman, Ph.D.; Jane Smith, Ph.D.; Evelyn Weeks, M.A.
Course Assignment
Honors Thesis HONR 450H
Start Date
22-4-2016 2:15 PM
End Date
22-4-2016 4:15 PM
"End of October”: A Creative Piece
Richardson Ballroom
“End of October” is a short novelette in which narration and point of view are muddled in order to create a contemporary Southern Gothic story. Jack, a mortician and the central character, a man who has had limited interaction with the real world, becomes obsessed with the suicide of a local baseball hero. Trying to unravel the mysteries around Stephen Kohler’s death leads Jack to confront suppressed memories from his past, calling into question his relationship to his parents and to his sister. While the story spends most of its time tuned into Jack’s sensibilities (which become increasingly unreliable), there are sequences that tap into other characters in the town, showing how a small town mourns death. At the end, Jack is forced to synthesize all the lessons he has learned as a result of his misadventures in a twisted take on the traditional epiphany: the final image is of Jack and his sister holding hands as they agree to face the uncertain future together.
