Some would say that the interpretation of dreams closely parallels the interpretation of texts (such as novels), and I would have to agree with them; however, it seems that just as a text can be given meaning or over-analyzed so can a dream.
In an excerpt from Sigmund Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams, Freud discusses how in a dream, what we remember of the dream after we wake up is usually only a small part of the actual dream itself. He goes on to talk about how dreams should not always be represented by pictures, because they are so much larger than what a mere picture could describe. This could easily be applied to any work by saying that the physical words on the page are small representations of the greater meaning of the text as a whole.
However, Freud also states, “the elements of the dream are constructed out of the whole mass of dream-thoughts and each one of those elements is shown to have been determined many times over in relation to the dream-thoughts” (318). I think what he is trying to say here is that each “element” is created by multiple smaller, related “thoughts.” These elements and thoughts contained in the dream link to another idea or thought within the dream to create a giant web of interlocking thoughts.
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| An example of a dream... What does this tree mean to you? |
What I do not understand, however, is how Freud knows that dreams are created from “dream-thoughts.” If one is really asleep, then they are not consciously creating meaning from these thoughts while in slumber. Is it possible to presuppose the aspects of the conscious mind to a sleeping one? Could it be that the elements in our dreams can relate, but maybe they also contain entirely separate “meaning” or no meaning at all?
For example, let’s say that the setting of your dream has a small meadow with one tree. Is this one tree related to everything else? Does it have some greater meaning or symbolism? Maybe it represents your desire to become mature and settle down–be more confident in yourself… and maybe it is just a tree.
In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne follows Hester and Pearl into the forest to meet with Dimmesdale. Along the pathway there, the sun appears to only shine on Pearl; the moment Hester gets near it goes away. Is this symbolic of the sun’s fear of Hester’s sin? The sun refuses to shine on Hester because it is ashamed for her? Some could make that argument; however, it is more likely that Hawthorne is playing with our eagerness to ‘see symbols’ everywhere we look. So in this scene, the sun for all purposes is just the sun.
And while Freud has a valid point about the related aspects of dreams (and likewise works), as Hawthorne displays in his novel, there is also the human element in which we place our own meanings onto components of dreams when we wake up–which are then of course once again limited by our own knowledge and connotations.
For the most part, I agree with your interpretation here. However, I'm just curious as to what you think of Freud's ideas on displacement within dreams, as well as displacement within language and a text.
ReplyDeleteI too believe that Hawthorne plays with the readers' and characters' eagerness to find meaning/symbolism in things that may or may not actually be symbolic at all. And in Response to when you say "If one is really asleep, then they are not consciously creating meaning from these thoughts while in slumber...Could it be that the elements in our dreams can relate, but maybe they also contain entirely separate “meaning” or no meaning at all" I just want to say that I learned in my psychology class that the reason our dreams are so disjointed and random is because while we are in the REM cycle our brain (nuerons,axons, or something...?) are still firing energy and the ones that we most recently have used (like what we thought about duriing the day) are most easily accessed. So the elements of our dreams are our randomly firing nuerons and the reason our dreams are in the sequence of a story is not entirely known but it's basically because of Human's nature to seek meaning, structure, and timeline. This is why when you remember your dreams they sometimes seem really weird and you're thinking how are those things connected? and why didn't i realize that my dream changed suddenly from my house to an amusement park? So while Fruedian theory does relate to literature, a lot of his theories are not falsifiable and modern views on the subject have changed quite a bit.
ReplyDeleteBut it is true that your dreams could have meaning that you don't realize, especially because it is possible that some of those randomly firing Nuerons are subconcious thoughts you had during the day, so through dreams it might be possible to try and figure out what your subconscious thoughts were during the day that you were unaware of?
Delete**(THIS IS KEBLOGGING COMMENTING UNDER A DIFFERENT NAME)** Although I agree that it is possible to overanalyze a text or a dream, I don't think that we should stop analyzing them. Take the example that you gave about a dream with a single tree, maybe it is just a tree and maybe it's not-But isn't that the beauty of literature and analysis? Consider sarcasm, it HAS to be analyzed because when taken at face value, the meaning is different than what is intended by the speaker. Couldn't the same be true for an author (the author as the speaker and the reader as the listener); the reader must sometimes interpret a text in order to get the correct meaning. One could even go into the argument that it doesn't matter what the original intent of the author was (when talking about New Criticism).
ReplyDeleteTo add on to Marissa's explanation to the question that you ask in your blog, the frontal lobe is in a state of "hibernation" or something similar when you are asleep. When it is in this state, the mind does not control what it thinks about because the frontal lobe is where the rational and moral decisions are controlled. That is why you have abstract dreams that tend to not make sense. However, there are some individuals that have the ability to control what they dream and studies have shown that they have increased (from a normal sleeping person) frontal lobe function while they sleep.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mike, what do you think about the displacement theory of Freud? Also, how do you think that the analysis relates to Lacan?