The Dreamer

Neftalí can’t stop daydreaming, a pastime his father thinks is for “weaklings” and “fools.” Father values physical strength and financial security. He wants Neftalí to pursue a practical career, like one in business or medicine. Despite Father’s plans, Neftalí becomes a prolific and celebrated poet and writer. The story of The Dreamer demonstrates the influences of Neftalí’s childhood on the life and career of Pablo Neruda, the name by which he’s now known. It shows that Neftalí’s daydreaming is not an idle and foolish pastime, but a pursuit of his passions which fuels resilience and determination, helping him overcome obstacles so he can follow his calling as an artist and achieve his dreams.

Neftalí often feels invisible. His shyness makes it difficult to connect with others, though he longs for a friend. Other people don’t seem to share his interests, or to understand them. Neftalí lives in a constant state of anxiety stemming from his father’s authoritarian nature. It’s impossible for Neftalí to avoid displeasing Father for long, which he knows will result in insults and humiliation from his father. When he daydreams, however, the painful things in his life recede: He forgets about his shyness, his loneliness, even Father’s disapproval.

Neftalí’s imagination and daydreams allow him to find inspiration in everyday objects. The illustration on Pages 16-17 depicts an egg in a nest. A staircase emerging from the egg leads to another world. Its caption asks, “To which mystical land does an unfinished staircase lead?” (16). It portrays one example of Neftalí finding inspiration in the mundane—in this case, an unfinished staircase in his home.

Daydreaming also brings magic into Neftalí’s otherwise small world. Muñoz Ryan employs magical realism in scenes created by Neftalí’s rich imagination, like when he rides a rhinoceros beetle that has grown to the size of a pony. The magic of these daydreams allows Neftalí to change his reality so it doesn’t destroy him. The caption of another illustration, in which Neftalí floats away in a hot air balloon carried by a giant book, asks “From what are the walls of a sanctuary built? And those of a prison?” (193). It suggests he’s metaphorically imprisoned by his shyness and his father’s sternness, but reading and daydreaming create a sanctuary to which he can escape.

Neftalí’s essay about following dreams and staying determined does not overtly connect daydreaming to following one’s dreams. In his case, though, daydreaming nurtures his artistic spirit, which enables him to follow his dream of becoming a poet. Nurturing his artistic spirit also helps Neftalí build resilience, the ability to heal and flourish in the wake of hardships. An illustration of a new sprout growing from the stump of a hewn tree symbolizes this resilience. Another illustration suggests that merely having dreams to follow makes Neftalí more resilient, more able to overcome the damage his father does to his sense of self. Its caption reads, “Which is sharper? The hatchet that cuts down dreams? Or the scythe that clears a path for another?” (92-93). Daydreaming and determination are Neftalí’s scythes, which cut away his father’s insults and clear a path to pursue his dreams.

The book’s conclusion says of Neftalí, “Poetry had laid down its path, and he had no choice but to follow” (343). The passion for poetry was always a part of him, but obstacles in his childhood stood in the way of achieving that dream. His father makes every effort to steer him down another path. Father’s verbal and emotional abuse threaten to crush Neftalí’s imaginative spirit. Daydreaming averts this by bringing magic into his life and nurturing his resilience, enabling him to pursue his dreams and become a renowned artist.