“Imaginary Friend” by Stephen Chbosky (post 3): Christopher now has three personalities, but multiple personality, per se, is unacknowledged

Seven-year-old Christopher—who, after his six-day dissociative fugue in the forrest, was suddenly able to read and do arithmetic—has been so changed that his mother has to reassure herself that “No, he wasn’t possessed or a pod person or a doppelgänger…this was her son” (1, p. 153).

But what she doesn’t know is that he now has alternate personalities.

His split is concretely dramatized as follows: “Christopher stepped outside himself and looked back like a spectator. What he saw was a little boy [his regular self]…” (1, p. 169). And at another time, since he is still not used to his multiplicity, “He turned around and almost screamed. Because sitting there, right next to [his three friends] was his own body. Christopher watched the four boys…He called out to them, but they could not hear him. He waved his hand in front of their eyes, but they didn’t even blink” (1, p. 190).

When Christopher was “on the imaginary side…it was like a one-way mirror that lets you spy on people on the real side” (1, p. 193).

Comment

Christopher is now divided into three personalities: Imaginary Christopher and The Nice Man, who are alternate personalities, and Regular Christopher, the host personality.

As is typical, the alternate personalities are aware of the host personality, but not the reverse, which is why the host personality has memory gaps and fugues for periods of time that the alternate personalities have been in control.

Also, as is common, the host personality gets headaches when the alternate personalities demand to take their turn.

Of course, the idea that the alternate personalities are “imaginary” and live in a purely imaginary world is the host personality’s objective perspective. Alternate personalities see themselves as real.

In the novel so far, multiple personality, per se, does not seem to have been intended by the author. Its symptoms are not labeled as such. But the mother’s comments suggest that the author may have had his suspicions.

1. Stephen Chbosky. Imaginary Friend. New York, Grand Central, 2019.