Analysis of Dream ChildrenThe question is asked why Gail Godwin titles her story "Dream Children" when it appears that only one dream child is mentioned. That's simply because there is more than one Dream Child, and they are present in more places than just the McNair house. Gail Godwin assumes that many people are or have been dream kids, including Mrs. McNair. McNair was a dream kid when she was young, and she carried the special abilities of dream kids with her into adulthood. Dream children travel through the night to places other than their bedroom. They visit places while they sleep. When Mrs. McNair was a child, “she had gone through a phase of walking in her sleep” (Godwin 1044). Her parents began to worry that she might drown or hurt herself when traveling in her sleep, so they sent her to a psychiatrist. After consulting this psychiatrist, his “nocturnal movements stopped” (1045). Now, in her adult life, she travels again in her sleep. It all started when Ms. McNair met the child she believed to be hers. Unfortunately, her child died at birth, but in a tragic mix-up at the hospital, she receives a baby belonging to another mother. This brief encounter with the newborn had a profound impact on her. This terrible situation, which should never have happened, made her look at life differently. She never forgot the baby that was given to her. Mrs. McNair thought about him all the time, and she thought he thought about her. The child she had for a brief time sometimes came back to visit her at night. Mrs. McNair would lie in bed in a “weightless but conscious state” and “send her thoughts anywhere” (1045). It was in this state that she heard the s...... middle of paper.... ..an projects himself into a house when he is miles away. All of these examples are people or animals traveling to different places. Her psychiatrist told her when she was young that "the child race possesses magically sagacious powers" (1046). Ms. McNair still believes him because of the evidence she has. This young child, to whom she was the mother for a short time, visits her from a distant place. This child has magical powers and she also has the ability. traveling to another level with the child she always wanted. Works Cited Godwin, Gail. “Dream Children.” The Harper Anthology of Fiction. 1991. Works consulted. Contemporary literary criticism. Vol 22. 1982. Detroit, Michigan. Contemporary Literary Criticism Vol 8. Gale Research Company. 1978. Detroit, Michigan.