The research and creative portions of this thesis develop from the various responses
individuals experience in the wake of a loss. The research into the evolution of faith in author
Jack Kerouac's 'Duluoz Legend' and the central storyline of the novel 'Mayor of Hollywood'
spring from the same well: the crossroads between death and faith. The research piece
concerns itself with Kerouac's exploration of the spiritual interior in the wake of the death of
his protagonist's older brother, developing a personal faith that blends Buddhism and
Catholicism unfettered by formal religious practice, mirroring instead an older path of
Catholic mysticism. Mayor of Hollywood explores the opposite side of the religious coin: the
protagonist, Lucy Cassidy, has little compelling interest in her own spiritual existence but
must address the practicalities of her partner's formal practice of Catholicism, including
dietary restrictions, regular worship, moral strictures, and the religious formalization of the
guilt process. At the same time, Lucy and Mark must resolve several deaths that have
occurred, substituting the secular path of crime detection for the more spiritual quest to
reunite with God. Linked by the shared topic of death, the two halves of the thesis address
faith as a whole, exploring the interior and exterior spiritual life
