Monday, April 26, 2021

Chapter 3: Page 14: Line 5 (96)

 O children, I even dream'd in those Days,— but only long after the waking Traverse was done.

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Line 96 Vulgarized:
Sure, I dreamed, you creepy kids. But only after each day's survey was done. I assure you I was completely awake for the things I'm about to tell you. My dreams did not intrude. You must believe, the crazy things in this story were absolutely part of the waking world.

Subtext:
This line was somewhat confusing for me. At first it seemed like Cherrycoke was saying he didn't dream until long after the survey work they did was done, as if he were not entirely comfortable until long after, or he didn't really get much sleep during their work, and so couldn't dream. But he also says "I even dream'd in those Days" which suggests, yeah, he was dreaming during that time. And, in defending himself against the statement that he wrote in his sleep, he's pointing out that the dreaming did not coincide at all with his memories of the waking day. Ultimately, I feel like this line is Cherrycoke's assurance that his story isn't wild fantasy; it isn't, in any way, a dream. Cherrycoke's response to the kids is basically, "You don't think I can tell dreams from reality?! I assure you, I can. Now let me tell you about this dog that could speak English."

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