Fever Dream (short story)
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"Fever Dream" is a
Plot summary
The story concerns Charles, a fifteen-year-old boy who is suffering from a severe illness. The local doctor diagnoses it as
Charles continues to lose control of his body—first his other hand, then his legs—but the doctor continues to assure him otherwise, and gives him
The next morning, Charles appears fully recovered. He is pronounced completely healthy by the astonished doctor, whose hand Charles vigorously shakes. After the doctor leaves, however, Charles brushes his foot over a swarm of
Themes and interpretation
The story also involves childhood fears of isolation and distrust of adults. The doctor continues to scoff at his illness, and Charles's parents do little to help his situation, and perhaps aggravate it. Fear of not being taken seriously by adults is a common worry of children; children in many ways rely on adults to help them, since they are unable to help themselves.
A literal interpretation of the story leads one to believe that Charles has literally been transformed into a walking disease that can kill other living creatures on contact; however, the way the story is written leaves it open to interpretation. It is possible that the entire story was made up of fever dreams or hallucinations by Charles, or that the illness Charles was suffering triggered latent
External links
- Fever Dream title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Synopsis and Analysis