At last overwhelming evidence convinced me that, in the case of men,
nothing else than cravings for masturbation from the time of puberty
furnishes the motive power for these dreams. I shall analyse two such
dreams, one of which is likewise “a dream of flight.” The two dreams are
of the same person—a young man with a strong homosexuality, which,
however, has been repressed in life.
_He is witnessing a performance of_ Fidelio _from the parquette of the
opera house; he is sitting next to L., whose personality is congenial to
him, and whose friendship he would like to have. He suddenly flies
diagonally clear across the parquette; he then puts his hand in his
mouth and draws out two of his teeth._
He himself describes the flight by saying it was as if he were “thrown”
into the air. As it was a performance of _Fidelio_ he recalls the poet’s
words:
“He who a charming wife acquired——”
But even the acquisition of a charming wife is not among the wishes of
the dreamer. Two other verses would be more appropriate:
_“He who succeeds in the lucky (big) throw,
A friend of a friend to be....”_
The dream thus contains the “lucky (big) throw,” which is not, however,
a wish-fulfilment only. It also conceals the painful reflection that in
his striving after friendship he has often had the misfortune to be
“thrown down,” and the fear lest this fate may be repeated in the case
of the young man next whom he has enjoyed the performance of _Fidelio_.
This is now followed by a confession which quite puts this refined
dreamer to shame, to the effect that once, after such a rejection on the
part of a friend, out of burning desire he merged into sexual excitement
and masturbated twice in succession.
The other dream is as follows: _Two professors of the university who are
known to him are treating him in my stead. One of them does something
with his penis; he fears an operation. The other one thrusts an iron bar
at his mouth so that he loses two teeth. He is bound with four silken
cloths._
The sexual significance of this dream can hardly be doubted. The silken
cloths are equivalent to an identification with a homosexual of his
acquaintance. The dreamer, who has never achieved coition, but who has
never actually sought sexual intercourse with men, conceives sexual
intercourse after the model of the masturbation which he was once taught
during the time of puberty.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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