Symbols & Motifs
Vivid Dreams
In his youthful incarnation, Paul frequently experiences dreams that are realistic, complex, and worrisome, forcing him to face seemingly intractable circumstances. He vividly remembers the dreams and cannot ever forget them. Whenever something negative happens in his real life—as when a giant horse crushes Toby’s foot—Paul can be sure he is going to dream about it that night. The dreams are a pervasive, persistent reality he cannot escape. In a casual conversation, Morrie asks Paul what his dreams are, asking what he would like to do as a grownup. Misunderstanding the question, Paul explosively unburdens himself about his nightmares, stunning Morrie.
Doig uses the motif of Paul’s bad dreams in two ways. First, the dreams foreshadow unseen developments and issues that have not yet occurred in the storyline. For example, Paul dreams his father—who detests fist fights—tells him to get into a boxing ring. Inside, Paul sees that his opponent is Morrie. In the final pages, Paul and Morrie engage in a verbal back-and-forth in which they debate what Paul will tell his father about Morrie’s background and how long Morrie will remain in Marias Coulee. Second, the author conveys the weight of Paul’s importance to the Plus, gain access to 8,650+ more expert-written Study Guides. Including features:
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By Ivan Doig
