In Solaris, dreams become reality, and the contents of the characters' heads crawl out of their brains and become real. This is upsetting. It also calls into question what is "real" in the first place. Is reality out there, agreed upon, like the ocean? Or is it also what you think about the ocean? (That it's a big old brain, for example.) If Rheya isn't real, it also seems to call into question whether Kelvin is real—and of course, he ultimately isn't since he's a character in a book. The book is a kind of puzzle, tossing up different versions of reality to watch them totter about or fall apart—much as the ocean does.
Questions About Versions of Reality
- Which version of Rheya is the real Rheya?
- Kelvin often dreams or thinks he's dreaming. Are the dreams more real than his waking life or less real? Explain your answer.
- Does science present a version of reality? Is that reality more real than dream or less? Explain your answer.
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Nothing that happens to Kelvin is real.
Everything that happens to Kelvin is real.