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Gabriel García MárquezA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Dreams are an important symbol in the novella, signifying fate and the issue of agency. The day after the wedding, Santiago wakes up with a sore head. He has had little rest but, during his short time asleep, his dreams were filled with birds and trees. As Santiago’s mother Plácida explains, Santiago often dreams about trees. Believing that she has some skill for interpreting dreams, she is pleased to hear about her son’s dreams as trees are considered a good sign. Birds, conversely, are an ominous warning. Placida’s interpretation of her son’s dream was misguided, focusing on an unimportant aspect while ignoring the real issue. In this way, her interpretation of Santiago’s dream represents the mistake that many people in the town will make. Just like Plácida, people will be presented with a story—such as the twins’ plan to kill Santiago—and they will interpret it incorrectly.
The concept of a dream as a prophecy is also representative of the assurances the people of the town give to themselves to absolve themselves of complicity in the murder. Plácida wants to believe that dreams have power, as this removes some of her own responsibility and agency. If her son has had a portentous dream, then she does not need to do anything to improve his situation as good luck will inevitably await him in the future.
By Gabriel García Márquez
A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings
A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings
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Balthazar's Marvelous Afternoon
Balthazar's Marvelous Afternoon
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Death Constant Beyond Love
Death Constant Beyond Love
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Eyes of a Blue Dog
Eyes of a Blue Dog
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In Evil Hour
In Evil Hour
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Innocent Erendira
Innocent Erendira
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Leaf Storm
Leaf Storm
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Love in the Time of Cholera
Love in the Time of Cholera
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Memories of My Melancholy Whores
Memories of My Melancholy Whores
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News of a Kidnapping
News of a Kidnapping
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No One Writes To The Colonel
No One Writes To The Colonel
Gabriel García Márquez
Of Love And Other Demons
Of Love And Other Demons
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One Hundred Years of Solitude
One Hundred Years of Solitude
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One Of These Days
One Of These Days
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Strange Pilgrims
Strange Pilgrims
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The Autumn of the Patriarch
The Autumn of the Patriarch
Gabriel García Márquez, Transl. Gregory Rabassa
The General in His Labyrinth
The General in His Labyrinth
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The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World
The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World
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The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor
The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor
Gabriel García Márquez
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