Essay Questions

What is being alluded to in the title of the novel?

The novel’s title is a reference to a conversation between two characters, Codi and Loyd, have involving the hypothetical question of whether animals have dreams. The conversation then proceeds to more metaphysical and philosophical tones as they begin to seriously contemplate what possible themes and contents comprise an animal’s dreams. Loyd postulates that animals dream of whatever quotidian activities they were involved in during their waking moments, similar to many humans. Codi on the other had finds the mundanity of the contents of animal dreams to be sad, as they lack the fantastic imagination that humans possess. Loyd gently refutes this line of thinking however by stating that dreams, even a person’s highest hopes and aspirations are not autonomous from one’s daily life; instead, a person’s hopes and aspirations are rooted in and springs directly from one’s daily experiences.

How is the theme of fertility discussed in the narrative?

The theme of fertility is discussed in the narrative not just with regard to the ability or inability to conceive children but also with regard to the fecundity of the land as well as the ability to form meaningful relationships with members of the community.The theme of fertility acts as a plot device driving the story forward, otherwise it is used as a plot element that determines the quality and condition of a character’s relationship with other characters in the narrative. Codi, for example, feels like an outsider and finds it genuinely difficult to establish ties with other people because of the trauma she experienced having lost her mother as a child. Later on she experiences another traumatic death when she miscarries at the age of fifteen, exacerbating her difficulty in dealing with people.

What does Codi’s medical license symbolize?

The medical license, or rather, Codi’s lack of it, is symbolic of two things: it is a symbol of failure because she fails to achieve it even if she had attended medical school. In another sense it also symbolizes her distance and aloofness to her father and sister. Both Codi’s father and sister are medical practitioners and the lack of her medical license becomes a relational roadblock for her because it serves to magnify the difference between her, her father, and sister.