Perceptions of Reality

The novel’s central theme explores questions of how people perceive and relate to reality – the reality of who they are, the reality of the world around them, and the level of reality in what they imagine and/or believe to be true.

The first aspect of this theme – people’s perceptions of who they really are – manifests primarily in the story and narrative journey of central character, protagonist, and narrator Sean Phillips. On one level, there is the very clear sense that he knows exactly who he is: he makes comments about his appearance, his physical capabilities, and his physical well-being that clearly suggest he has a relatively realistic perception of that aspect of his reality. On another level, however, and more importantly, there is the very strong sense that when it comes to his inner / psychological reality, he is in denial: that...