Mirrorings

Abstract

This collection of six original personal essays fuses the themes of religion, mental illness and family. In "Out of the Fishbowl" and "Invisible Things" the author explores the effects of her family's fundamentalist Christianity and her mother's Multiple Personality Disorder (Dissociative Identity Disorder) on her childhood while considering larger issues of mental illness, family and faith. "Family Photographs" focuses on family---among the topics considered are what it means to be like or unlike one's family, both physically and emotionally. "Everyday Courage" centers on motherhood, both the author's personal feelings as well as some of the broader cultural questions about why women choose to be mothers. The title piece, "Mirrorings," examines the intersections of religion, sin, and sex and explores the ways in which the experiences of the author's mother (as narrated in "My Mother's Secrets, in Collage") are reflected in the author's life, particularly in her sexual relationships.

Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 43-05, page: 1558.

Chair: Richard McCann.

Thesis (M.F.A.)--American University, 2005.