Date of Award:
5-2009
Document Type:
Thesis
Degree Name:
Master of Arts (MA)
Department:
English
Committee Chair(s)
Charles Waugh
Committee
Charles Waugh
Committee
Jennifer Sinor
Committee
Christine Cooper-Rompato
Abstract
Born to a Hungarian mother and a father of Hungarian descent, I have spent my life trapped between two worlds, never quite able to be entirely part of either. As such, it seems fitting that for thesis I chose to do a novella, an art form that is neither short story nor novel. The novella is, I argue, a form that is uniquely suited to the task of examining a single theme at length, which I do in my thesis. It is through this little-studied form of fiction that I create a story through which I examine my own identity and world view. "The Last Honest Man" tells the story of Attila Molnár, a Hungarian shoe factory manager who comes to America to reconnect with his estranged wife. Along the way, he meets an old colleague, a former KGB agent who asks for his help in a scam involving the Y2K crisis. The novel explores the interconnected theme of identity and nationality in a world constantly shifting and changing politically and technologically. It addresses values of loyalty, friendship, family, and courage, each altered by time yet fundamentally unchanged.
Checksum
d6494903710d21f44fd56b707622afcd
Recommended Citation
Nyikos, Daniel Arpad, "The Last Honest Man" (2009). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023. 379.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/379
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