The Falsity of Dreams

The central motif of “A Dream Within a Dream” is the titular dream. However, rather than being associated with childhood fantasy, creativity, imagination, and endless possibilities not confined by reality, Poe’s conception of the dream world is much more bittersweet. Indeed, his dreams are responsible for his happiest moments – they contain the ambiguous “You” from whom Poe parts from with an affectionate “kiss upon the brow” (1). However, the bitterness of his dreams is accounted for by their illusory, temporary nature – after all, Poe must eventually wake up from his happiest dreams, including those he shares with “You.” Therefore, Poe’s poetry associates a sense of interpersonal loss with dreams. In fact, the first mention of “dream” within the body of the poem, other than in the tile, is within the context of Poe’s beloved “You, … who [deems] /That my days have...