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Date Permissions Signed

6-14-2014

Date of Award

2014

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Department

English

First Advisor

Johnson, Nancy J. (Nancy Jean)

Second Advisor

Beasley, Bruce, 1958-

Third Advisor

Qualley, Donna J., 1952-

Abstract

The Cumulus Effect is the first part of a longer work of contemporary young-adult, realistic fiction regarding the formation of identity, relationships, becoming independent and leaving home. Protagonist Violet is an eighteen year-old female who has just left her middle-class suburb of Alamosa, Colorado to start her first year of college. Her four year relationship has ended leaving her emotionally shattered. Coupled with her parents’ separation and slipping grades, Violet’s once confident and ambitious nature begins to crumble. Over time, through her proclivity for list making and the support of her new college friends, Violet learns to accept change. The Cumulus Effect refers to the rising of warm air from the surface that, when mixed with cool air, causes water vapors to condense, eventually forming a cloud. This process of accumulation is similar to the pressure Violet places on herself to be the person she once was. By embracing the idea that change is constant, Violet is finally able to construct a new self.

Type

Text

DOI

https://doi.org/10.25710/bb68-a944

Publisher

Western Washington University

OCLC Number

889006183

Subject – LCSH

Interpersonal relations--Fiction; Identity (Philosophical concept)--Fiction; Young adult fiction

Format

application/pdf

Genre/Form

masters theses

Language

English

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this thesis for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.

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