The Irrevocable Truth In David Mills's 'Derealization'

2392 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The influence of role models

“Derealization”: The Irrevocable Truth
Cherish those who seek the truth but beware of those who find it.”-Voltaire. “Derealization” is about a story of a boy who derails reality to compensate for his harsh life. The David Mills encompasses literary tools such as illusion motif, weed pipe symbols, and the things being other 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 till 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. In Shaymus’ case, the negative examples set by his parents and the role models around him are far from exemplary. Starting with an alcoholic father who uses alcohol as an outlet “to deal with the people at their worst…”, Shaymus fears that he is on a brink of violence. “Doggy gone pepper spray… in case, my old man buries the needle on the drunk meter”. And a mother pretends to a sweeter person in front of her husband... “Behind closed doors…Ma’s kinda this other person I don’t really know.” The author exemplifies dysfunctionality to Shaymus’ life as the …show more content…

As Shaymus tells his Rayjay to go to sleep, his brother mentions that “monsters aren’t real” and instead of sparing him from the truth, Shaymus replied with “She lied to you.” The author ends with a powerful message that could crush a child’s point view. Although, it was wrong for Shaymus to share this type of information, he does so because derailment of reality can get one to be lost in it. And even if the truth is ugly, it is better to accept it firsthand because the truth will eventually come out and in the end, one can never run away from the

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Butcher Rogaum's Door

    1083 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a teenager, one tends to rebel against one’s parents. Theresa, in “Butcher Rogaum’s Door” by Theodore Dreiser, is no different from any other adolescent in the world. She believes that she is ready to venture out into the dangerous streets of the Greenwich Village in Lower Manhattan late into the night. After all, Theresa is turning eighteen and facing all the budding sexual desires of womanhood and the grand adventures that the city can offer her. Butcher Rogaum, Theresa’s father, certainly feels differently about this, reasoning that Theresa is still an adolescent and still living in his household. The naturally conflicting relationship and realistic portrayal of a naïve girl and her overbearing German father in “Butcher Rogaum’s Door”, show how difficult generational gaps can be.

    Read More

  • 'Don T Call Me Ishmael'

    765 Words  | 2 Pages

    This novel explores the life of a current-day teenage boy who is lonely at school and is an easy target for bullies. Many people can relate to both of these instances and will interest those people. Even people who don’t experience these can still take it in and act when someone else is seen being lonely or bullied. Values to stand up for yourself and ‘to treat others as you would want to be treated’ were all mentioned in the book and most of the Ishmael’s friends were performing these values by the end of the book and Ishmael could finally be at school with good friends and know that he doesn’t need to worry because his friends will protect him.

    Read More

  • The Beast In Lord Of The Flies

    820 Words  | 2 Pages

    The concept of the beast creates fear amongst the children. With their imagination children fear that the beast is out to get them, when in reality the beast is non-existent. This fear of the unknown

    Read More

  • This Is How You Lose Her By Junot Diaz

    1840 Words  | 4 Pages

    Yunior’s fathers only concern was obtaining the “American Dream” job security, financial stability, and owning his own home. Yunior’s childhood memory of his father are vague; they have no bond or connection, to Yunior he’s just a stranger. “ He’d come to our home house in Santo Domingo in a busted up taxi and the gifts he had brought us were small things-toys guns and tops-that we were too old for, that we broke right away.” (Diaz, 129). For a young man growing up without a father figure has a profound effect on them that lasts way into manhood. “Boys need a father figure to learn how to be a man, without having this influence in their lives, boys are at risk of growing into men who have problems with behaviors, emotional stability, and relationships with both significant others and their own children.”

    Read More

  • Delinquency of a Clockwork Orange

    1618 Words  | 4 Pages

    ... Alex received little control from his parents. In several instances the parenting methods used by his parents gave him too much of his own discretion. In one instance his mother allowed him to stay in from school and it is implied that this is a regular occurrence. This example acts doubly negative in that he has no responsibility to maintain a set schedule of structure but also that school itself can act as a form of control against delinquency because it gives an individual stakes in conformity.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Essay On The Outsiders

    649 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout life individuals face many challenges testing their values and personality one situation at a time. In the evocative novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton themes of growing up and innocence are shown. Ponyboy is not your average 14 year old he is part of a gang known to many as the Greasers. He encounters many situations testing his values and beliefs. Having lost both his parents recently he and his brothers stick together like a true family but this relationship is tested when Darry hits Ponyboy. He also experiences the loss several close friends in a very short period of time. Throughout this novel, Ponyboy encounters many life changing experiences that prove he is a dynamic character.

    Read More

  • Deconstructive Analysis: The Yellow Wall Paper

    1365 Words  | 3 Pages

    Deconstruction or poststructuralist is a type of literary criticism that took its roots in the 1960’s. Jacques Derrida gave birth to the theory when he set out to demonstrate that all language is associated with mental images that we produce due to previous experiences. This system of literary scrutiny interprets meaning as effects from variances between words rather than their indication to the things they represent. This philosophical theory strives to reveal subconscious inconsistencies in a composition by examining deeply beneath its apparent meaning. Derrida’s theory teaches that texts are unstable and queries about the beliefs of words to embody reality.

    Read More

  • Essay On Paradox Of Vanity

    2235 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...’ family is in deep alcoholism, depriving children the benefits of a proper upbringing. The Johnsons are also chaotic and tyrannical. Jimmie and his ilk of brawling youths epitomize the violence that rocked the society. In the middle of this violence is pursuit of vanity. Children are fighting viciously to establish the superior one. Adults are watching on indifferently. Maggie gets into prostitution because of pursuing an elegant life. She lacks appreciation of her beauty and persona. In the end, the question to ponder is whether human beings have the capacity to make personal choices in midst of immense social circumstances. Regrettably, Johnsons share the blame for the kind of person that their children turned out. The society too has remained passive in the midst of great social trepidation. Maggie and Jimmie share the blame for pursuit of vainglorious vanity.

    Read More

  • The Innocence of Childhood in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

    1249 Words  | 3 Pages

    Growing up and becoming mature can be an intimidating experience; it is difficult to let go of one’s childhood and embrace the adult world. For some people, this transition from youthfulness to maturity can be much more difficult than for others. These people often try to hold on to their childhood as long as they can. Unfortunately, life is not so simple. One cannot spend their entire life running from the responsibilities and hardships of adulthood because they will eventually have to accept the fact that they have a role in society that they must fulfill as a responsible, mature individual. The novel “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger follows the endeavours of Holden Caulfield, a sixteen-year-old teenage boy who faces a point in his life where he must make the transition from childhood to adulthood. In an attempt to retain his own childhood, he begins hoping to stop other young children from growing up and losing their innocence as well. As indicated by the title, “The Catcher in the Rye” is a book that explores a theme involving the preservation of innocence, especially of children. It is a story about a boy who is far too hesitant to grow up, and feels the need to ensure that no one else around him has to grow up either. His own fear of maturity and growing up is what leads to Holden’s desire to become a “catcher in the rye” so he can save innocent children from becoming part of the “phoniness” of the adult world.

    Read More

  • Rite Of Passage Essay Examples

    817 Words  | 2 Pages

    The father’s upbringing was such that financial stability was the priority. The child learned that dads are busy and do not have time to spend with their children. What a devastating realization for a child to conclude. Yet like most little boys, this one wanted to grow up to be like his role model, no matter the example. During the time from childhood to adolescent, parental influence can be either beneficial or detrimental. If the parents have a stable home, clear boundaries and open communications with their teens, the transition could flow easier. The perfect father does not guarantee the child will not rebel.

    Read More

  • The Stages Of Cognitive Development In A Childhood By Crews

    1357 Words  | 3 Pages

    Cognitive development is where children start to become aware of their surroundings and become familiar with different things. Cognitive development plays enormous roles in a child’s growth into adulthood. In the story, Crews mentions that his first memory was around ten years before he was born, and the memory takes place where he has never been and involves his daddy who he never knew. One of the most important stages of cognitive development is sensorimotor stage. During the sensorimotor stage, children are only aware of the things they see, do, and the physical interactions with their immediate surroundings. Also, according the “The Role of the Father in Child Development”, it suggests the father-child separation period starts at the early age of nine months. Although the narrator was only 18 months old when his father died; he was still unable to make that immediate connection that a child needs from his father. Crews started a quest to find his father’s love; however, he never got a chance to complete. According to “The Role of the Father in Child Development”, the presence of a male model other than a father (e.g. an older brother) may inhibit the negative effects of a father’s absence Biller (1968, 1971a) argues that the father is a superior role model. All fathers are held to a superior role in every child’s life. Fathers are often the superhero that a little boy would like to be. The author always yearned for that superior male figure in his life. Crews’ father lived a life which consisted of drinking, fighting, working long hours, and influencing others to live the same lifestyle. The writer began to question the choices that his father made after he was convicted of his transgressions. Because of the actions of his father, Crews questioned what an ideal father should be and how it impacted his life in a negative

    Read More

  • Unwind

    1445 Words  | 3 Pages

    The premise of Unwind is a thrill to any teenager who has ever either defied an authority, like Connor, or has ever felt unwanted, such as Risa. As a thirteen-year-old who had dabbled in a little of both from time to time, Unwind was a welcome glimpse into my own subconscious and a realization at how privileged my life has been. The world this novel constructs is a society quite similar to our own, yet its morals have been contaminated: certain lives are considered m...

    Read More

  • Behavior in the Home in Invisible Inequality: Social Class and Childrearing in Black Families and White Families by Annette Lareau

    713 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...parents were much more successful in the working world encouraged him to complete many daily activities such as choir and piano lessons. His parents engaged him in conversations that promoted reasoning and negotiation and they showed interest in his daily life. Harold’s mother joked around with the children, simply asking them questions about television, but never engaged them in conversations that drew them out. She wasn’t aware of Harold’s education habits and was oblivious to his dropping grades because of his missing assignments. Instead of telling one of the children to seek help for a bullying problem she told them to simply beat up the child that was bothering them until they stopped. Alex’s parents on the other hand were very involved in his schooling and in turn he scored very well in his classes. Like Lareau suspected, growing up

    Read More

  • Parent-Child Relationship in Teenage Wasteland by Anne Tyler

    648 Words  | 2 Pages

    Parent/Child relationships are very hard to establish among individuals. This particular relationship is very important for the child from birth because it helps the child to be able to understand moral and values of life that should be taught by the parent(s). In the short story “Teenage Wasteland”, Daisy (mother) fails to provide the proper love and care that should be given to her children. Daisy is an unfit parent that allows herself to manipulated by lacking self confidence, communication, and patience.

    Read More

  • Analysis: Catcher In The Rye

    1381 Words  | 3 Pages

    There is one event that unites all human beings. This event is the process of growing up and becoming an adult. The transition into adulthood from childhood can be very long and confusing. As a kid most of them can not wait to become an adult but once you experience adulthood you miss your childhood. The novel Catcher in the Rye shows how a teenager on the break of entering adulthood can get scared. Through the main protagonist Holden Caulfield, J.D. Salinger captures the confusion of a teenager when faced with the challenge of adapting to an adult society. Holden is faced with many problems as some teens are now a days of not wanting to grow up,immaturity, and his struggle of romantic relationships.

    Read More

More about The Irrevocable Truth In David Mills's 'Derealization'

Open Document