Theme Of Derealization By David Mills

How does a boy fare in a world where everything around him is deceptive and full of lies? Does conform? Does he get lost in it? In “Derealization,” the author David mills answers all of these questions as he introduces the readers what happens to a boy who derails reality to compensate for the uncomfortable truths of life and how one can get lost in it. The author also encompasses literary tools, such as illusion motif, symbolism, formal features, and the theme of things being other than they appear, to propel the character development of Shaymus. To convey his message of difficulties in finding truth in the world, Mills shows that one can only pretend for so long until the truth comes out, and that no matter how one tries to hide something …show more content…
Shaymus wanted to find solace in the only place in the world he knew he belonged to and once he gets there, things would go back to how they were. The author illustrates how Shaymus has lost himself because of his constant derailment of reality: “My body felt like a stranger to me, or I was a stranger to my body—I couldn’t really tell” (15). However, once he saw his little brother Rayjay on the boardwalk, he was overwhelmed with shame, “He was across the street. He saw me, I saw him, then somebody blocked him out of the view and I ducked inside this gift shop behind me, hoping he hadn’t looked at my messed up face” (16). The author illustrates a sense of guilt and shame in Shaymus, who believes if his brother sees him this way, then maybe he could see through him. And if Rayjay can see through him, then he would know the secret he carries. The author illustrates this in such a way that Shaymus is scared of revealing his face because it might reveal the truth. Also, Shaymus came to a realization that if his brother is at the Boardwalk, then “…my old man had to be around somewhere too” (16). The author used a resentful tone for this occurrence, which evokes the readers to feel that Shaymus was angry but also terrified to face his father. With the information he …show more content…
Shaymus, who started with conformity, ended up with a resolve that feigning ignorance of the truth can derail one from reality. And through the experiences of Shaymus in the text as well as his realizations, David Mills’ contention relies on how one can get lost into further derailment of reality. He teaches the readers that society has the tendencies to ignore the truth. And it is one’s moral obligation to set an example to the youth, the importance of accepting the truth, no matter how uncomfortable the truth