Dora
What is the importance of fire in Freud's case study, Dora?
Dora
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Jill W
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Jill W
Dora
In Dora's unconscious, fire represents its typical symbolism: it is a destructive force that poses a threat. The fire in her first dream burns her jewel-case, a metaphor for her fear of losing her virginity. Yet, fire can also be seen as liberating, in the sense that it forces her out of the house in the dream, away from the threat of Herr K.'s advances. Freud, however, writes that the fire in the dream actually signifies its opposite, namely, water, which he connects to Dora's childhood bed-wetting and the wetness of sexual intercourse. Fire, thus, also signifies the power of sexual impulses.
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