An Analysis Of 'Derealization' By David Mills

The majority of teenagers, want to fit in somewhere. Gaining a sense of belonging is what we all, for the most part, desire. "That was the worst part about having cancer, sometimes, the physical evidence of disease separates you from other people." As Hazel was boarding the flight, she felt everyone discretely judging her like she wasn't "one of them." From Hazel's perspective, she felt it was near impossible for her to ever be "normal." This separated her from everyone else around her and provoked her to lose her sense of belonging. This brings me to another outsider protagonist, Beatrice (Tris) Prior, from Veronica Roth's novel, Divergent. Beatrice and Hazel are in many ways similar, in context to the aspect of "fitting in." Tris lives in a futuristic dystopian world, in which society is split up into 5 different factions. These five factions are; Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the farmers), Candor (the honest), Erudite (the intelligent) and Dauntless (the fearless). At the young age of sixteen, each member of society must take an Aptitude Test to help determine which faction they truly belong to . The faction you choose becomes your ne home, your nre family. This though is represented by a slogan very significant to Tris’ society.

Each and every person on this Earth today has an identity. Over the years, each individual creates their identity through past experiences, family, race, and many other factors. Race, which continues to cause problems in today’s world, places individuals into certain categories. Based on their race, people are designated to be part of a larger, or group identity instead of being viewed as a person with a unique identity. Throughout Richard Wright’s Black Boy, Richard is on a search for his true identity. Throughout Black Boy, one can see that Richard’s racial background assigns him with a certain identity or a certain way in which some

The groups that are formed as adolescents often determine group associations as adults and define an individual within their social group that will either set them with or against other groups. This is described in an article on social groupings by Colin Allen, which mentions that our social associations as adolescents are strong indicators to future patterns of social norms as adults. Therefore, the group of students in the movie, The Breakfast Club, can also be extrapolated to adult group dynamics. However, the varying social norms between groups can present conflicts when adults are required to function within a very diverse group of individuals. In The Breakfast Club, the Jock, Geek, Prom Queen, Delinquent, and the Freak groups are brought together initially through an autocratic or directive leadership role, used to bring the group together in order to proceed to the next phase of group development. This stage is particularly important within a group of

Our identity is comprised of inner qualities and outer representations of self. It consists of innumerable defining characteristics that make up the whole of who we are in any given moment. These fragments of self include our sexuality, gender, and sense of belonging to a particular culture, nation, religion, family, or some other group. Our identity includes our looks, personality, beliefs and fears. Each individual in society assigns themselves a particular role, whether it be as a mother, brother, retiree, performer, sportsman or as a part of their occupation, a doctor or lawyer. Often one’s entire sense of self is consumed by

In the novel Old School, by Tobias Wolff, the protagonist just wants to fit in. The character is unnamed in the novel, but he just wants to belong at his school and make friends.

Many individuals is faced with the decision of conforming or choosing personal desire, and it is not an easy decision. It is hard because being shunned by others for being different is not a good feeling. Choosing to conform over personal desire, often leads to loss. On the other hand, personal desire is what sets others apart and gives them joy. In the poem, “The Jackhammer Syndrome”, Al Purdy discusses the good and bad memories he has experienced. He goes through his memories of when he had fun and made mistakes, but he reflects on what he could have done better. The author of “The Jackhammer Syndrome informs against choosing the welcoming joy of conformity over the long-term gains of personal desire. Making the decision to pursue conformity over personal desire may seem easy at first, but if the choice is to conform, the joy it gives will not last. Making the decision to pursue conformity over personal desire Conformity may seem to give joy at first, but it does not last. When Al is playing pool with his brother, he wants to win badly, but losses. However when he did not care to win, Al wins! Conforming can lead to loss but personal desire has much to gain. If the choice is to conform, personal identity may be lost. In my life, I recognize several instances in which I found several similarities between Al and myself. I have made decisions that were not always good ones such as swimming across long distances with friends.

As I transitioned from elementary school to middle school, I have always heard about everyone trying to fit in. For me, I too have experienced trying to fit in. While others tried to fit in by buying the trendiest clothes, listening to the latest music or playing the newest games, I thought I could fit in by just going along with everything people said. However, because of this, in the long run, I began to lose myself.

In Murray Milner’s: Freaks, Geeks, and Cool Kids, chapter three mainly talks about conformity and how it really takes place in school, specifically high schools. Throughout the entire chapter Milner talks about what these students do in order to conform with the rest of the “school society”. The basic rules and regulations these teens have to go by in order to really fit in with certain groups. Milner talks about different topics throughout the reading which breaks the entire aspect down for better understanding. He goes from the idea of crowds and their rankings, clothes and the styles that are in demand, speech and different language, all the way down to body language. The status of how a person displays themselves equals the status they are with a specific groups and idea. The idea of a person being broken down

Illuminating differences within a world of similarities enables the growth of relationships, transforming the individual’s perception. By defining what we are not and acknowledging the state of alterity, we construct a definition of who we are, which continually evolves. This notion is implemented to the novella Maestro by Peter Goldsworthy, and The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne.

Have you ever felt like you didn’t fit in? Like you were an outcast in your society. That you didn’t fit in with anyone in the group or even your society. In the outsiders it shows how some people just don’t fit in with a crowd. The novel is The Outsiders and the author is S.E Hinton. Even 50 years after it’s release the outsiders theme of the society/class and violences are still uncannily similar in our modern society.

There are many case throughout the book where this theme is present. The first and most important piece of evidence that supports this theme shows that the main character, Ali, moved to a new school, where as we all now is hard to be accepted. As seen on page 19, she often sort of lies or has a big ego around the popular kids so she can fit in. However by being he self she probably can fit in and make just as much friends.

an attempt to be a whole person, even if that whole person does not "fit in" to what is

Many things are important to us, one of these is being accepted by our society. We all hate to be the outsider or the new kid, because we feel alone and secluded . In “Who Am I This Time?';, Helene Shaw’s job kept her moving to a different town every eight weeks. She became very cold to her

The struggle to belong and find one’s place is significant in the lives of some people.

Carl Jung’s concept of individuation is the quest for wholeness in which the subject becomes conscious of themselves as unique and distinct. Seated very much in the tradition of enlightenment, the idea places emphasis on the individual 's capacity to gain further understanding and knowledge through analysis and reasoning, investing the individual with the power to defy trends and avoid group think. Imagine a tiny pebble thrown into a pond, causing a rippling effect through the surrounding water. Although the pebble is small, it causes multiple ripples that significantly change the pond, even if temporarily. Similarly, a single character in a novel can cause ripples in the lives of other characters. Our actions and choices are capable of causing ripples in the 'ponds ' of other 's realities, even those largely disconnected from our own. These ripples shape a person 's impression of individuality and of their Self. In Robertson Davies’ ‘Fifth Business’, even the minor characters that Dunstan Ramsay encounters, as well as his various experiences have different degrees of impact on his process of Individuation. Throughout the novel, Dunstan is self-reflective and becomes aware not only of how he is being shaped, but of himself as an identifiable form, at once shaped by his environment and propelled by his will. Carl Jung defined an archetype as "[an] original model of a person, ideal example, or a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated; a symbol