Semester of Graduation

Spring 2019

Degree

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Department

English

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

The Lowly Ones is a collection of short stories that interrogates the meaning of beatitudes written about in Luke 6:20–23 in the Bible. The characters in these stories navigate complex moral situations that examine the meaning behind the values presented in the beatitudes: mercy, sorrow, persecution, etc. These women face the challenges of faith in surprising ways, through the notoriety of a dead sister, the fascination with a lower-class neighbor, and the mysterious purchase of an exotic bird. This collection thoroughly erases the fictitious line religion and society draw between saints and sinners.

Committee Chair

Davis, Jennifer

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.4869

Available for download on Saturday, March 14, 2026

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