Dream Children; a Reverie Analysis
Dream Children; a Reverie is a non-fictional essay. Charles Lamb is the author of this essay. Some important points of Dream Children; a Reverie analysis are:
Stream of consciousness or repetition of ideas:
Stream of consciousness is a style of writing in which a writer narrates his/her thoughts and actions in the same sequence in which those ideas and acts appear in his/her mind. Some examples of this style in the essay are:
(1) Lamb tells his children three times in the article (a dream-based composition) that his grandmother (Field) was a very religious and moralistic person.
(2) Also, he says twice in front of his kids that Mrs Field loved her grandchildren a lot.
So, Lamb has used the technique of stream of consciousness in the essay based on his dream.
Conversational and Informal Opening:
In the essay, Lamb has used conversational and casual way in the opening lines for his audience. He says that children enjoy listening to stories about their elders' childhood to expand their imagination about those people. So, he has used an informal way of writing at the beginning of his piece as if to make his audience his secret sharers.
Symbolism:
Lamb has also used symbols in his essay. Some examples are:
(1) In the end, Lamb says that he found himself seated in a bachelor-arm-chair after waking up by his children's scary voices and their blurring bodies in his dream. The phrase of bachelor-arm-chair is a symbol of loneliness and the absence of a family for a man. So, Lamb uses this symbol for making a reader informed that the writer saw a dream, and his children were dream children in the essay.
(2) Another example of the symbol is the stripped old ornaments in a new stylish home of the owner of Mrs Field's house in Norfolk. So, Lamb says that old decorations were looking odd in that owner's modern residence as if stripped due to their unfit appearance. Therefore, he implies in front of his dream children that people forget their civilization and culture by being modern.
Consequently, Lamb has given his story-telling somewhat attractive look by using symbols in his essay.
Juxtaposition:
It is a figure of speech, and it results by stating two opposite ideas together. For example, Lamb has used the phrase 'busy idle' in the essay to show that he used to remain busy with useless activities. Also, Lamb says that he used to find more pleasure in futile acts than fruits, foods, and drinks which usually appeal to children. So, Lamb has made his essay tricky by using juxtaposition as a literary device.
The description of things in detail:
Lamb describes various people, places, and events in front of his dream-children. As an instance, the writer explains the outlook of the old house of his grandmother in Norfolk. Also, he says that the house had items of decoration which were in bad condition like worn out hangings and rubbed out shiny coverings of carved oaken panels etcetera. As another example, the writer narrates about his grandmother that Mrs Field was a very religious and nice-natured person for everyone, and she had much love for her grandchildren. Lamb also discusses that she was a great dancer in her youth and the disease of cancer could not make her spirits low but resulted in her death finally. Further, he says that a large mass of people attended her funeral who visited the ceremony from a very long distance. Therefore, this essay has detailed explanations for many things.
The desire of wedding Ann:
Ann was a girl whom Lamb proposed for marriage, but Ann rejected his proposal and married a guy named Bartrum. In this non-fictional article, the author sees a little girl named Alice who was his dream daughter and looked like Ann. So, Alice reflects Lamb's desire of marrying Ann.
The longing for having children:
Lamb did not marry in his life for he had to take care of a mentally sick sister. Also, that lady (Ann) whom he proposed for marriage rejected his proposal. Therefore, he had no wife and children during his whole life. So, Lamb's intense desire for kids gets reflected in the form of dream children in the essay.
The yearning for a responsible brother:
Lamb's elder brother never helped him and their sick sister. It made life difficult for the author. In the article, Lamb expresses his desire of having a responsible and caring brother in the form of John L- (who looks after the lame-footed boy) that could show his affection for him and their ill sister.
Introduction of Lamb:
Charles Lamb (1775-1834) was a British author, poet, and essayist. His best-known works include Essays of Elia and children's book tales from Shakespeare. His pen name was James Elia. In the book of Essays of Elia, a non-fictional essay, Dream Children; Reverie, is present which is very popular due to its autobiographical nature.
Conclusion:
In short, Dream Children; a Reverie analysis is a collection of Lamb's appreciable writing style, some important themes, yearnings for unattained affection, and some sweet memories.
Relevant page:
Dream Children; a Reverie Summary (An essay by Charles Lamb)