Philosophy Commons^™

This essay examines the “dead daughter in a box" dream, initially reported in Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams (1900), in order to explore two, related ideas: First, the dream is considered an exemplar of the work of symbolization, and in particular, a means for the dreamer to work through the fantasy of infanticide. Second, the dreamer’s disclosure of her dream is treated as an example of parrhesia – a particular speech act that Michel Foucault regarded as central to democracy. The overarching aim is to view dream-life as a quotidian and crucial site for the freedom of thought and speech.