Jack has dreams just like everyone else. So does his mom, his friends, Martin Luther King, and even Dwight (though Dwight's dreams are probably these freaky David Lynch numbers where everything is spray painted white.) Dreams are even more important to Jack in This Boy's Life because his reality is pretty darn crummy. They become a way for him to look towards something better down the road… which in turn helps him get out of bed without screaming every day. Dreams are something of a double-edged sword though. Sure, they make things seem less crummy for Jack, but they also blind him to certain facts he needs to come to grips with if he's going to go on to do something other than shoplift all his life.
Questions About Dreams
- Are Jack's dreams more important to him than his mother's? Why or why not?
- How does grown-up Jack—narrating from adulthood—view his dreams as a boy?
- Do any of Jack's dreams come true? If they don't, then what benefit do they bring to his life?
- How does Jack reconcile his sometimes unreasonable dreams with the reality in which he lives?
Chew on This
Jack's dreams end up helping him, even when they don't come true.
Jack's dreams aren't helpful; they only blind him to the real world he needs to deal with.