Dreams

The dream-within-a-dream in the opening chapter of the novel, in which a man wakes up from a dream to discover that he is at a party (which is, itself, later revealed to be a dream), is symbolic of Arthur’s feelings of detachment from life. Because Arthur is never truly engaged with the people and events around him, all of his experiences feel like a dream, which leads Arthur to feel as if he is not responsible for his own actions.

Walk in the Park

The walk in the park, which Arthur resolves to take in order to make himself feel better but which he never actually follows through with, is symbolic of Arthur’s knowledge that he is not taking proper care of himself. Arthur knows that the way that he is living is making him miserable and he is capable of coming up with...