Mara's Inferno

1 online resource (198 pages) : PDF

2015

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Mara Weiss lives in her own private hell. Her father’s suicide left her alone with an unhinged mother. High school offers Mara no escape, and outside of school, Mara unsuccessfully clings to her first love. Feeling engulfed by rejection, Mara and her friend Devon hold a séance in order to communicate with Mara’s father. Accidentally, the girls channel Dante. Dante offers to guide Mara to her father. Devon offers to go too. The trio’s travels quickly become dangerous. The girls escape, and, at first they are unsure if their trip was a dream. Mara’s sudden ability to see auras serves as proof that the journey was real. Interruptions from harassing classmates and Mara’s mother cause Hell to look increasingly pleasant. After two failed attempts, the girls manage to call Dante again. Hell loses its beauty as the trio journeys further than before, but this trip causes Mara to reconsider her relationships and her self-destructive behaviors.  Mara’s sense of power is short-lived. Hell has strained her friendship with Devon, and Mrs. Weiss is furious with her. Alone, confused, and desperately wanting answers, Mara summons Dante and begs him to take her to her father. Dante brings Mara into the forest of the suicides. Mara finds her father and learns why he killed himself. She wants to bring him back with her, but he is rooted by his guilt. Mara lets go of her father and faces an army of her worst selves. Narrowly winning, the world turns to a swirl of color. Mara wakes in the park with a better understanding of herself and a renewed sense of power. Her phone buzzes and she reconnects with her friends.

masters theses

Literature
Creative writing

M.A.

Dante
Fiction
Inferno
Young Adult

English

West, Mark

Connolly, Paula
Eckard, Paula

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2015.

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Massachi_uncc_0694N_10989

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:208