Reality and Illusion: Shaymus's Struggle in Derealization

“Derealization” is a story of a boy who derails reality to compensate for his harsh life. The author, David Mills, 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 or pretend it does not exist, truth has a way of coming out.

The authoritative figures in a teen’s life mold them for adulthood and in Shaymus’ case, the negative examples set by his parents are far from exemplary. Shaymus’ family is comprised of an alcoholic father, who uses alcohol as an outlet “to deal with the people at their worst” (1). He also lives in a constant fear that his father is on the brink of violence. “Doggy gone pepper spray… in case, my old man buries the needle on the drunk

Shaymus’ point of view is influenced by his mother’s cognitive dissonance on how he perceives the world. His father rented “The Breakers” cottage online, and pictures online were far more appealing than the reality. Shaymus knew that in reality, the depiction of the cottage was deceiving. He noted that “a picture might be worth a thousand words but it might be all lies” (3). In contrast, the mother deludes herself into thinking that “she loves them ‘cause it reminds her of the house she used to live in.” This illusion also reflects the idea of the Walsh’s happy family appearances. Like the pictures online, they try to simulate a happy family, but in reality, they are dysfunctional at best. The author introduces to the readers that this is a significant illusion, and there is more beneath the surface where one’s reality clashes with another’s