Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Semester of Degree Completion

1992

Thesis Director

David Radavich

Abstract

Few graduate students in English elect to write a creative thesis to complete their degrees, their tendency perhaps to believe that a thesis based on research seems a more scholarly endeavor. I do not think one could successfully argue the superiority of one type over the other, simply because the two are quite different. While a research thesis can require the reading and analysis of another author's work, a creative thesis requires the writing, reading, and analysis of one's own work. For that reason, the main body of this thesis consists of an introductory essay in addition to the creative component, a one-act play entitled Letters to Mother.

The introductory essay details the creative and writing processes that Letters to Mother underwent before reaching its completion. The focus of the play--childhood adoption--arose from my personal experience as an adopted child, and the plot that developed--a young woman who wants to search for her biological mother--stemmed from my own thoughts on that issue. Once the actual drafting of the play began, I discovered that my original plans for staging the play in all black and in an entire format of letters contained flaws because the resulting script's draft posed within itself no substantial conflict. Subsequently, I turned to several playwriting sources, studies on adoptive reunions, and other scripts to see what I could do to improve my own script, and I also explored writings concerning mother-daughter relations to aid my revision process. The final play then offers a less abstract idea of place with more visual and aural contributions, the personalities of the characters have become more developed, and the letters between the characters now intermingle with dialogue.

As for the play itself, it contains three female characters: a DAUGHTER, in her late twenties; her adoptive MOTHER, in her early fifties; and her biological mother, MOTHER 2, in her late forties. The set requires only three large black cubes placed in the shape of a triangle, and a black bench and table placed at the center of the triangle for scenes in which the characters directly interact. When Letters to Mother opens, the DAUGHTER vocally writes a letter to her MOTHER that reveals several aspects of her life, such as what she does for a living and how she feels about marriage. The DAUGHTER first brings up the idea of searching for her birth mother in this letter. Her MOTHER in turn responds with a letter, and then the two share a scene where we learn they have a close relationship. However, we also learn that the DAUGHTER's possible search for her birth mother causes tension between her and her adoptive mother.

Through a series of letters between the DAUGHTER and MOTHER, this tension becomes readily apparent, culminating in a face-to-face argument where the DAUGHTER learns that her MOTHER has kept some information about her birth mother to herself since the DAUGHTER was very young. As a result, their relationship experiences a potentially permanent rift, and the DAUGHTER decides to go ahead and search for her biological mother. When she does make initial contact with MOTHER 2, the DAUGHTER finds that MOTHER 2 does not want to correspond. After some coaxing, the two exchange letters for a time, and when the DAUGHTER expresses interest in meeting, MOTHER 2 feels neither one of them is ready.

Even so, the DAUGHTER shows up unexpectedly at MOTHER 2's office, and when the two later have a chance to talk, MOTHER 2 learns that her DAUGHTER and the adoptive MOTHER had a falling out over the search. As a result, she believes it best if she and her DAUGHTER sever their relations in order to preserve the other mother-daughter relationship. Later, the DAUGHTER finally talks with her MOTHER after several months of silence, and their relationship, while not completely healed, shows a glimpse of restoration.

Even though the final Letters to Mother script is different from the play I first envisioned, through it I achieved my personal goals and wrote a play that for me captures the quintessence of being an adopted child. The next step for me will be to see that it is shared with others.

Download

Share

COinS