Abdallah Hakim ZOUAOUI2021-11-162021-11-162021-06UNIVERSITE MOHAMED BOUDIAF - M’SILAhttp://dspace.univ-msila.dz:8080//xmlui/handle/123456789/27313ABSTRACT The quest for the truth has been for a long time the concern of many philosophers and authors. In the contemporary era our lived reality has a relation to concepts such as hyperreality, and philosophies such as Existentialism which have enriched the debate about the quest for truth and concept of reality in literary criticism. Therefore, this dissertation aims to examine and explore the ways to reach the truth, and the complex concept of reality in Don DeLillo’s Zero K (2016). Additionally, it illustrates the intended meaning of ‘the truth’ in the novel and its relation to the concept of ‘hyperreality’ as a deformation of the authentic reality. It also it provides a reading of an analogy between Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” and the experience that the protagonist goes through in the story in order to understand the multiple nuances of truth and reality. Such an illustration enriches the analysis of three main aspects in the novel. First, it explores the quest that the protagonist found himself involved in. Second, it examines the existential journey that accompanied the protagonist inside the hyperreal setting. Third, it seeks to shed light on the deformed reality causing a blur to his quest. To achieve this, the dissertation relies on Plato’s Theory of Forms and The Allegory of the Cave, Jean Baudrillard concept of hyperreality and Simulacra in addition to other concepts Existentialist Criticism.enKeywords: Quest, Truth, Reality, Hyperreality, Existentialism, Zero-K.Thesis