A Darker James Thurber
Sleep that Kills in “The Whip-poor-will” and Dreams that Kill in “A Friend to Alexander
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20873.25421Keywords:
James Thurber, The Whip-poor-will, A Friend to Alexander, Sleep, DreamsAbstract
Stories written by the American James Thurber (1894-1961) are traditionally light, funny, and entertaining. Two of them, “The Whip-poor-will” (1941) and “A Friend to Alexander” (1942) deviate from this tradition by tackling darker themes, i. e. death as a cause of sleep disturbance and as a cause of dreams. Scientific literature regarding both sleep and dream disorders is reviewed in order to shed light on the behavior of the protagonists of the two short stories and on the events that eventually lead to the tragic outcomes in each. The objective is to better understand the motivations and the catalysts of the dire occurrences by focusing (though not exclusively) on the character’s plights. Conclusions involve a deeper understanding of the dangers of sleep fragmentation and the importance of sleep continuity with quality; of the brain’s capacity to incorporate external auditory stimuli into the dream content as a way to preserve sleep continuation; and of physiological functioning and malfunction of the body during dreaming.
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