I dreamt that I took William Burrough's penis and tied it up with piano wire. I hung him like a Chagall painting…In the next part J.G. Ballard swam through streets of female urine. The girls read his book Crash and then mowed him down with their Volkswagen, crushing his chest slowly against a brick wall. As he screamed in agony larger than representation can accommodate, they referred to his text and had orgasms. Later, they jumped up and down yelling, 'You're not a hero. You're not a hero. You're not. You're not. You're not.' How do you analyze that part of the dream, Anna? …I guess I'm nervous about my birthday.
In this surreal dream sequence, the author, Anna, explores complex themes surrounding literary figures such as William Burroughs and J.G. Ballard. The violent imagery of Burroughs being hung, alongside Ballard's bizarre encounter with female urine and a fatal car accident, suggests a critique of masculinity and the consequences of artistic representation. The girls' aggression towards Ballard underscores themes of power dynamics in literature and sexuality, signaling a rejection of traditional heroism.
Anna's admission that her anxieties about her upcoming birthday inform these unsettling images suggests a deeper psychological layer to the dream. The use of celebrated authors in grotesque scenarios may signal her internal struggles with identity and societal expectations. The dream reflects an underlying tension about aging, relevance, and the fear of being marginalized, encapsulated in the girls' chant "You're not a hero." It highlights a disillusionment with the literary canon and challenges the notion of heroism and authority in creative expression.
