Einstein’s Dreams consists of a menagerie of dream records relating to time and their effects on society. While there are brief interludes between chains of dreams, told from the perspective of Michele Besso (Einstein’s best friend), I have noticed recurring themes between the dreams and the intermissions. Isolation seems to be the most common theme within Einstein’s dreams and his reality.
From the interludes, Besso explains that Einstein is introverted and solitary. He wonders why Einstein married, since he spends all of his time working on theories. Einstein is observed as preferring reclusive contemplation to social interaction. His behavior resembles Holden Caulfield’s tendencies in that he seems uninterested in what others consider appealing social events. For example, Einstein refuses to attend a party with his wife and friends, while Holden does not participate in the football game. Einstein’s friend, Besso, also seems to recognize his reclusiveness and rarely attempts to persuade him out of isolation (much like how Holden surrounds himself with friends who are socially confined, such as Ackley, or are more interested in other occurrences, such as Stradlater).
In addition to Einstein’s reality, his dreams explore the connection between society or individuals, and time. For example, in one dream time is described as being sticky. People are stuck in the ways of the past and do not progress. A woman writes to her son through a defunct address, when in fact her son has grown and begs for her attention. She ignores him, however, because he does not comply with her vision of him as a child. This relates to Holden, who focuses on the innocence of his past and refuses to acknowledge his future (maturing), and Professor Nemur, who refrains from recognizing Charlie as a human before his operation (since it contradicts his perspective of society).
No comments:
Post a Comment