If Only in our Dreams

This story is an exploration into dreams and what they can say about us. While I don’t think they can be prophetic beyond random chance and certain cues that may have been picked up on but not realized, I do think that dreams can show us what we care about, and touch on what’s been occupying our minds throughout the day. I want to show that dreams can be cathartic, healing even, in that they allow our minds to process the information that we keep getting in the way of while our ego is in control. Any traits that Olivia has won’t play a direct role in her reaching this conclusion though, because it is herself that’s getting in the way of her processing her own grief. In the end it’s her own id that’s fighting against her—dragging her to a point where she can start the healing process. It may seem antagonistic, and in a sense, it is, but it’s all used to bring her to a place where she allows herself to let go and take in the tragic moment without getting in her own way. Olivia never made it to her mother before she died, making it there in her dream is a happy fantasy, sure, but far more powerful than that is her falling short and seeing that she can never change it, only to then be tossed face first into a moment that shows that she’s told her mother all the things that she’s wanted to say, that her mother knew how she felt, even without her reiterating it at the end. When Olivia wakes, she’s had her moment. Thanks to her dream, the pressing weight of wanting to say these things to her mother has been lifted, and now she can start the healing process.