Challenger Deep Figurative Language

Shusterman’s Challenger Deep is a fascinating novel that guides readers through a teenage boy’s mental health journey as his insecurities and paranoia obscure the lines between fantasy and reality. Shusterman's beguiling use of figurative language throughout the novel immerses readers until the end. The story is narrated in an unusual but effective format, alternating short chapters between a manipulated sense of reality and reveries, which occurs on a ship set sail for Challenger Deep. However, the format and content resulted in a particularly challenging read, hence the rating of 4.5/5 stars. Caden Bosch is a 15-year-old boy who struggles with schizophrenia. This rare but serious mental illness causes humans to essentially lose touch with

However, his attempts were unsuccessful, and he fell “[T]owards the sea, layers of parchment peeling away as he falls, page after page until there’s nothing left of him. [...] All that remains are a thousand pages wafting in the wind like confetti, settling piece by piece into the sea” (Shusterman 257). There are multiple instances similar to this where Caden’s reality and hallucinations parallel, with the hallucinations becoming fantastical scenarios. This makes the novel very interesting to read and constantly has the reader thinking and making predictions. Furthermore, the unique format of Challenger Deep tends to be very confusing in certain sections. Throughout the book, there are multiple scenarios that cause readers to be very puzzled and unaware of the connection in the book, causing this book to be very difficult to comprehend. For example, the point-of-view in this story varies; although Caden is the one experiencing the pain and process of fighting his mental illness, Shusterman’s writing style in the time at the hospital is different than Caden’s time on the

By the end of the book, nearly everything can be connected. However, certain parts simply do not connect regarding Caden’s fantasy. For example, while on board, Caden approaches Carlyle late at night; in his attempt to free Calliope’s legs, he asks where the key is for the deck. Carlyle, after a slight hesitation, states “‘It’s behind the peach pit, in the socket of his [Captain’s] dead eye’” (Shusterman 182). This does not have a clear connection to any part of Caden’s reality in the hospital, and this is not the only instance where Caden’s experiences on the ship have no direct relationship to his reality. Instances like these are very confusing to the reader, but also open up a wide variety of possibilities for predictions and indirect relationships. And yet, although these instances are somewhat intriguing, they are very confusing to the reader. Overall, Challenger Deep is a thought-provoking and intense novel that leads readers through Caden’s journey of mental health recovery from schizophrenia. Caden’s parents send Caden to Seaview Mental Hospital, where he makes relationships and memories that parallel his twisted