"A Dream" by JJ

            I read “A Dream” by J.J. as a psychological narrative about a young man named Gabriel who is in a heavy depression. But of course, I am always looking for a psychological story, so maybe I am misreading it. The timeline of his life is a bit difficult to trace, but it sounds like he came out of a damaging relationship, then went to the United States Military Academy, then transferred to Columbia. He feels socially alienated, has low self-esteem, and persists in smoking weed, which seems to keep him trapped in a destructive cycle. He seems to associate hope with colors; whenever the fog lifts from his mind he immediately begins to see colors. At the end, he is inspired to write a story about a guy that is able to be there for a hallucinating girl who needs him as much as he needs her.

            This is a very well written story with some great dialogue and some unnecessary dialogue, and some very interesting internal thoughts from the protagonist, Gabriel. His friends, who are all stoners like him, seem to be pretty shallow. Gabriel, on the other hand, seems to be complex. On the one hand, he seems to really be grasping for the “colors” that he finds on certain special occasions, which inspires him to write; but on the other hand, he seems only interested in sleeping and smoking weed. I’d like to see some of these other characters somehow showing they are more than just stoners. Chances are, they are just as interesting as Gabriel, but I can see no hint of this. They all seemed confused, like they are in the “dream” that Gabriel finds himself in.

            The rainbow/colors motif is really beautiful, and even though it might be in the context of drug abuse, it is still a really tangible and relatable to explain the happiness and sanity the protagonist sometimes feels. There are a few characters that seem to be more important to Gabe than others: the blond girl near the beginning, the ex-girlfriend, and the girl at the end. These might even be one and the same person, but it’s impossible to tell. I’d like to know how all these characters are related. I also want to know why he went to military academy and what happened in his last relationship.