My creative dissertation is a collection of fifteen stories that describe the interior turmoil of characters paralyzed by the world they find themselves forced to navigate. The world manifests itself in several different forms: at times it is ambiguous and sinister; at other times, it is a bounty of possibilities that leaves a character entirely unable to know how to choose, much less what to. Though set in the present, the collection is unconcerned with technological and cultural details and seeks instead to convey the elusive but strong sense of fear that dominates American life in the 21st century.