Master

Author: Susan Sontag
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: In The Benefactor, Sontag is particularly fond of dreams and hallucinations, allowing readers to see the life within dreams of the protagonist and narrator, "I." In this short narrative work, "I" has a total of thirteen dreams, not including different versions of these dreams, and "I" spends almost sixty-one years of life in the process of dreaming and interpreting dreams. Due to the father being busy with business, the sister getting married, and the mother's death, "I" has long endured loneliness and has developed a habit of indulging in deep thought. During my junior year in the provincial capital, I was expelled for publishing a philosophical essay on a small topic that was too grand, and I entered the social circle of a middle-aged couple—the Anders. The salon was lively, and although I was immersed in it, I remained obsessed with my own thoughts, feeling as though I embarked on a spiritual journey. Then, I began to dream, starting with the "Dream of Two Rooms." In the dream, "I" exhibits certain personality traits—shrewd humility, a tendency to feel shame, pleading, fear, and a desire to reconcile with and charm those who oppress and command me in the dream, and so on. Next, I began to interpret the dreams and sought help in doing so. The same dream figures appear in different dreams, such as the hostess of the salon, Mrs. Anders, who sometimes refuses my requests in the dream and at other times shows affection toward me. The dreams I have are quite elaborate, with varying content, including the "Very Party Dream," "Religious Dream," "Old Benefactor Dream," "Piano Lesson Dream," "Mirror Dream," "Red Pillow Dream," "Broken Window Dream," "Mud Shoe Dream," "Armory Dream," "Literary Dream," "Puppet Dream," and so on, without end. What is particularly interesting is that I build a bridge between dreams and daily life, and as a result, I taste the essence of inner life. Inner life changes my attitude toward others, and the dreams guide and alter my daily life. Living this dream-like life that blends reality and fantasy, I am full of vitality. Guided by the dreams, I seduce Mrs. Anders and elope with her while her husband is away on a business trip. We have a wild time in an Arab city, and then I generously sell her to an Arab merchant. It seems like two years later, she returns, scarred and pitiful. "The dream" instructs me to kill her, but I fail, as she is unbreakable. I give her the house left by my father, and so on. In The Benefactor, dreams and hallucinations seem to serve not only to advance the plot but are more like the protagonists of the novel themselves—dream after dream, and even "dreams within dreams," they develop their own life and logic. Dreams and hallucinations reveal the confusion and loneliness of "I" in the process of self-awareness and self-exploration, and as a result, the inner world of "I" is authentically portrayed.