Dreams have a way of revealing what we do not yet understand. They bring buried emotions to the surface, turning them into symbols that linger long after we wake. In Bodies of Water, Claire Baldwin Harrison explores the mysterious connection between dreams and the subconscious mind through Anna, a young woman whose vivid dreams begin to blur the line between memory, grief, and reality.
After the sudden death of her sister, Laura, Anna’s dreams become more than just scattered fragments of her mind. They feel like messages—puzzles she must decode, leading her deeper into the past and toward truths she was never meant to uncover. Through these dreamlike visions, Anna finds herself questioning what is real, what is imagined, and whether her subconscious is guiding her toward something important.
The Role of Dreams in Grief and Healing
In times of intense loss, dreams often take on new significance. They can serve as a way for the mind to process emotions that feel too overwhelming in waking life. For Anna, the loss of Laura is not just painful—it is disorienting. Her sister was her anchor, the one who always had the answers. But in Laura’s absence, Anna is left searching for guidance in places she never expected.
Her dreams become filled with vivid imagery—water, shadows, distant figures that feel both familiar and foreign. These are not just random scenes; they are pieces of a deeper truth, fragments of memories she did not even know she had. Claire Baldwin Harrison uses these moments to explore how grief often manifests in subconscious ways, pushing us to confront what we may not be ready to face.
Symbols as Clues to the Past
Throughout Bodies of Water, symbols play a powerful role in Anna’s journey. Water, in particular, appears again and again—sometimes as a calm presence, other times as an overwhelming force. It mirrors her emotions, her sense of being lost yet guided by an unseen current.
In literature, water is often associated with transformation, memory, and the passage between the conscious and unconscious mind. For Anna, it represents both comfort and danger, a reminder of her sister and a warning that she must uncover something hidden beneath the surface.
Other symbols—strangers in her dreams, echoes of Laura’s voice, places she has never been but somehow knows—serve as a map. They lead Anna toward a deeper understanding of her sister, her past, and ultimately, herself.
The Subconscious as a Guide
One of the most compelling aspects of Bodies of Water is the idea that our minds often know more than we realize. Anna’s dreams are not just reflections of her grief—they are signposts, pushing her to seek out the truth Laura never had the chance to tell her.
Through Anna’s journey, Claire Baldwin Harrison—drawing from her own experience with loss—captures the strange, haunting power of the subconscious mind. Dreams may not always give us direct answers, but they reveal what we need to see, if only we are willing to look.