Date of Award
2025
Document Type
Thesis (Master's)
Department or Program
Master of Arts in Liberal Studies
First Advisor
Alan Lelchuk
Second Advisor
Barbara Kreiger
Third Advisor
Anna Minardi
Abstract
There are roughly 280,000 migrant domestic workers living in Singapore. Many of them come from the Philippines, Myanmar, and Indonesia to work as live-in maids. About 20% of households in Singapore employ domestic workers to assist in household chores and to help care for children and the elderly. Their work is multi-faceted: they are the cooks, the dishwashers, the car-washers, the baby-sitters, the pet groomers, and the laundrymen of many Singaporean households. They play a central role in the domestic lives of thousands of families in Singapore and are undoubtedly a part of the country’s social fabric; nevertheless, they have largely been overlooked by the international community. This was the central impetus behind the “The Threadbare Saint,” a story which casts a light on an unrepresented demographic in Singapore. This novella is centered around a Filipino maid named Judith who works for a German expatriate family in Singapore. Set in 2005, this piece of fiction attempts to detail the sacrifice that domestic workers make, leaving their homes and loved ones behind to make a better living for themselves. Along the way, readers will meet a cast of characters who represent the diverse and multi-ethnic population of Singapore.
Recommended Citation
Khoo, Lucas, "The Threadbare Saint" (2025). Dartmouth College Master’s Theses. 256.
https://digitalcommons.dartmouth.edu/masters_theses/256
