Capstone/Thesis Title
Term
Fall 2017
Upload Type
Restricted Access Thesis
Primary Advisor/Thesis Chair
Nina LaCour
Degree Name
MFAC
Abstract
Ellen, a freshman at Saint Hilda’s School, is a scholarship student surrounded by girls from wealthy families. Ellen’s mother was a student at Saint Hilda’s School. She died when Ellen was six and being at Saint Hilda’s gives Ellen opportunities to find out more about her mother.
She signs up to be a tutor at Our Lady of Sorrows Church and meets nine year old Charlie who can’t read. The church is in a run down part of town and the children are poor, a contrast with the girls at Saint Hilda’s. Ellen feels comfortable there and forms a bond with Charlie.
The difference between her background and the wealth of the other students grates on Ellen. She wonders if it would be better to live at home with her father and new stepmother. But leaving Saint Hilda’s would mean ending her connection with her wolf pack, Charlie and his younger brothers, Pookie and James, who visit Ellen on weekends. When a valuable charm bracelet is missing Ellen confronts the prejudice and hypocrisy at the core of the school’s culture.
Recommended Citation
McDonnell, Christine, "My Wolf Pack" (2017). Creative Writing Programs. 14.
https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/cwp/14
dc_type
text
dc_publisher
DigitalCommons@Hamline
dc_format
application/pdf
dc_source
Creative Writing Programs