Fever Dream (short story)

"Fever Dream" was originally published in the September 1948 issue of Weird Tales

"Fever Dream" is a short story written by Ray Bradbury in 1948 for Weird Tales. It deals with the issues and anxieties suffered by teenagers that result from bodily change, in a somewhat Gothic light.

Plot summary

The story concerns Charles, a thirteen-year-old boy who is suffering from a severe illness. The local doctor diagnoses it as scarlet fever, but Charles protests that his hand has "changed" and is no longer under his control. He claims that he has been infected by microbes that are not only causing illness, but literally taking over his body and forming a new being. The doctor, however, assures Charles's parents that this is all in his imagination—a fever dream brought on by his illness.

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 antibiotics to deal with his problems. After Charles tries to choke himself, he is restrained to the bed by his parents. One night, Charles begins to lose control of his body, and he feels himself being taken over by the microbes.

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 red ants on the floorboard in the carriage, killing them on contact. It appears that he has, indeed, been taken over by the microbes in his body.

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 neuropsychiatric disorder—such as alien hand syndrome, which causes his hand to act independently from the rest of his body. However, the final passages after Charles's recovery strongly suggest that Bradbury did, indeed, intend the literal interpretation.

Read other articles:

Daftar kecamatan dan kelurahan di Kabupaten Lumajang

Peta lokasi Kabupaten Lumajang Berikut adalah daftar kecamatan dan kelurahan/desa di Kabupaten Lumajang, Provinsi Jawa Timur, Indonesia dengan kode wilayah administrasi 35.08. Kabupaten Lumajang terdiri dari 21 kecamatan, 7 kelurahan, dan 198 desa. Pada tahun 2017, jumlah penduduknya mencapai 1.108.060 jiwa dengan luas wilayah 1.790,90 km² dan sebaran penduduk 618 jiwa/km².[1][2] Daftar kecamatan dan kelurahan di Kabupaten Lumajang, adalah sebagai berikut: Kode Kemendagri Ke...

 

Albatros abu-abu

Albatros abu-abu Status konservasi Hampir Terancam (IUCN 3.1)[1] Klasifikasi ilmiah Kerajaan: Animalia Filum: Chordata Kelas: Aves Ordo: Procellariiformes Famili: Diomedeidae Genus: Phoebetria Spesies: P. palpebrata Nama binomial Phoebetria palpebrata(Forster, 1785)[2] Sinonim Diomedea palpebrata[3] Albatros abu-abu (Phoebetria palpebrata) adalah spesies burung laut dari keluarga Albatros. Dalam satu keluarga Albatros, spesies ini memiliki ukuran yang relati...

 

Luigi VIII di Francia

Luigi VIII di FranciaSigillo di Luigi VIII di FranciaRe di FranciaStemma In carica14 luglio 1223 –8 novembre 1226 IncoronazioneCattedrale di Reims, 6 agosto 1223 PredecessoreFilippo II SuccessoreLuigi IX Re d'Inghilterra(contestato)In carica21 maggio 1216 –20 settembre 1217(in opposizione a Giovanni ed Enrico III) PredecessoreGiovanni SuccessoreEnrico III NascitaParigi, 5 settembre 1187 MorteMontpensier, 8 novembre 1226 (39 anni) SepolturaNecropoli reale della basilic...

Field ration

Food given to soldiers in the field or on deployment The contents of a First Strike Ration, a United States Army field ration for high-energy meals in combat A field ration is a type of prepackaged military ration designed to be easily and quickly prepared and consumed in the field, in combat, at the front line, or where eating facilities are otherwise unavailable. Field rations are primarily used by military forces, though they are also sometimes distributed to civilians as part of humanitar...

 

Sainte-Croix, Switzerland

Municipality in Vaud, SwitzerlandSainte-CroixMunicipalityView of the city from the south FlagCoat of armsLocation of Sainte-Croix Sainte-CroixShow map of SwitzerlandSainte-CroixShow map of Canton of VaudCoordinates: 46°49′N 06°30′E / 46.817°N 6.500°E / 46.817; 6.500CountrySwitzerlandCantonVaudDistrictJura-Nord VaudoisGovernment • MayorSyndicArea[1] • Total39.43 km2 (15.22 sq mi)Elevation1,086 m (3,563 ft)...

 

If I Had a Hammer

If I Had a Hammer(the Hammer Song)Pete Seeger nel 2008ArtistaPete SeegerPeter, Paul and MaryTrini Lopez Autore/iPete Seeger - Lee Hays(The Weavers) GenereFolkCountrySurf musicGospelRhythm and blues Stilecanzone Esecuzioni notevoliPeter, Paul and Mary, Trini Lopez, Artisti vari miglior interpretazione vocale di un gruppo 1963 Data1958[1] Data seconda pubblicazionegiorno e mese della data di seconda pubblicazione If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song), traducibile con Se avessi un mar...

Wangsa Jiménez

Wangsa JiménezNegaraNavarra (Kerajaan Pamplona) (Kekuasaan hilang tahun 1234)Aragon (Kekuasaan hilang tahun 1164)Kastila (Kekuasaan hilang tahun 1126) León (Kekuasaan hilang tahun 1126) Galisia  Portugal (Kekuasaan hilang tahun 1139)Didirikan921PendiriPangeran García JiménezKepala saat iniPunahPenguasa terakhirAntso VIIGelarRaja KaisarPembubaran1234 Wangsa Jiménez atau Giménez/Ximenes (pengucapan bahasa Basque: [ʃimenes̺]), alternatif disebut juga Jimena, Sancha, Banu Sancho...

 

乌克兰总理

 烏克蘭總理Прем'єр-міністр України烏克蘭國徽現任杰尼斯·什米加尔自2020年3月4日任命者烏克蘭總統任期總統任命首任維托爾德·福金设立1991年11月后继职位無网站www.kmu.gov.ua/control/en/（英文） 乌克兰 乌克兰政府与政治系列条目 宪法 政府 总统 弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基 總統辦公室 国家安全与国防事务委员会 总统代表（英语：Representatives of the President of Ukraine） 总...

 

對習近平的負面稱呼

习近平 习近平自2012年出任中共中央总书记成为最高领导人期间，因其废除国家主席任期限制、开启总书记第三任期、集权统治、公共政策与理念、知识水平和自述经历等争议，被中国大陸及其他地区的民众以其争议事件、个人特征及姓名谐音创作负面称呼，用以恶搞、讽刺或批评习近平。对习近平的相关负面称呼在互联网上已经形成了一种活跃、独特的辱包亚文化。 权力�...

براونينغ (مونتانا)

براونينغ     الإحداثيات 48°33′25″N 113°00′50″W / 48.5569°N 113.014°W / 48.5569; -113.014   [1] تقسيم إداري  البلد الولايات المتحدة[2]  التقسيم الأعلى مقاطعة غلاسير  خصائص جغرافية  المساحة 0.715732 كيلومتر مربع0.709483 كيلومتر مربع (1 أبريل 2010)[3]  ارتفاع 1334 متر...

 

Post box

Box for collecting outgoing mail Not to be confused with Post office box. For another use, see Postbox (email client). Collection box redirects here; for another use, see Poor box. Postbox of the Russian Post in Moscow A post box (British English; also written postbox; also known as pillar box), also known as a collection box, mailbox, letter box or drop box (American English), is a physical box into which members of the public can deposit outgoing mail intended for collection by the agents o...

 

Trans Am (album)

1996 studio album by Trans AmTrans AmStudio album by Trans AmReleasedJanuary 30, 1996GenrePost-rockLength29:59LabelThrill JockeyProducerJohn McEntire, Trans AmTrans Am chronology Trans Am(1996) Surrender to the Night(1997) Trans Am is the debut album by the American band Trans Am, released on January 30, 1996, by Thrill Jockey Records.[1][2] The band supported the album with a North American tour.[3] Artwork The album's artwork was taken from the cover of a 10 ...

Dharmendra Yadav

Indian politician based in Uttar Pradesh Dharmendra Yadavधर्मेन्द्र यादवMember of Parliament, Lok SabhaIncumbentAssumed office 4 June 2024Preceded byDinesh Lal YadavConstituencyAzamgarhIn office2009–2019Preceded bySaleem Iqbal ShervaniSucceeded bySanghmitra MauryaConstituencyBadaunIn office2004–2009Preceded byMulayam Singh YadavSucceeded byMulayam Singh YadavConstituencyMainpuri Personal detailsBorn (1979-02-03) 3 February 1979 (age 45)Saifai, Uttar Pr...

 

歯

この項目では、生物全般の歯について説明しています。人間の歯については「ヒトの歯」を、生物以外の用法については「歯 (曖昧さ回避)」をご覧ください。 歯（は、英: tooth）は、口腔内にある咀嚼するための一番目の器官。 多くの脊椎動物が持つ。ヒトは乳歯と永久歯の二組を持つが（二生歯性）、ネズミ目のように一組の歯が伸び続ける動物もいれば（一生歯...

 

Championnat d'Équateur de football 2011

Copa Credife 2011Primera A Généralités Sport Football Éditions 53e officielle Lieu(x) Équateur Date du 29 janvier 2011au 18 décembre 2011 Participants 12 équipes Matchs joués 268 Site web officiel L’argument http://www.ecuafutbol.org/UI/noticia.aspx?categserie (valeur 1) n’existe pas dans le modèle appelé Palmarès Tenant du titre LDU de Quito Promu(s) en début de saison Imbabura SCLDU Loja Vainqueur SD Quito Relégué(s) Imbabura SCEspoli Meilleur(s) buteur(s) Narcis...

2016–2018 Ethiopian state of emergency

State of emergency in Ethiopia 2016–2018 Ethiopian state of emergencyDate9 October 2016 – 5 June 2018LocationEthiopiaCause2014–2016 Oromo protestsOutcome Extended twice, on 28 March 2017 and 15 February 2018[1][2] Lifted by Abiy Ahmed administration A state of emergency was declared on 9 October 2016 by Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, after de facto taking effect the previous day.[3] The state of emergency authorized the military to enforce securit...

 

怪物魚を追え!

怪物魚を追え！ジャンル ドキュメンタリー番組釣り番組司会者 ジェレミー・ウェイド作曲 ティモ・ベイカー国・地域 イギリスシーズン数 全9シーズン話数 57話スペシャル44話追加エピソード2話各話の長さ 40分 (オリジナル)50分 (延長カット)90分(いくつかの話と最終話)製作製作総指揮 ハリー・マーシャルローラ・マーシャルリサ・ボサック・ルーカスプロデューサー ア...

 

Aylesford railway station

Railway station in Kent, England AylesfordGeneral informationLocationAylesford, Tonbridge and MallingEnglandCoordinates51°18′05″N 00°27′58″E / 51.30139°N 0.46611°E / 51.30139; 0.46611Grid referenceTQ720586Managed bySoutheasternPlatforms2Other informationStation codeAYLClassificationDfT category F2HistoryOpened18 June 1856Passengers2018/19 0.162 million2019/20 0.166 million2020/21 41,4422021/22 0.118 million2022/23 0.109 million NotesPassenger statistics fro...

Абд ар-Рахман ібн Катір аль-Лахмі

Абд ар-Рахман ібн Катір аль-ЛахміКраїна Омеядський халіфатНаціональністьарабПосадаваліТермін746—747 рокиПопередникТуваба ібн-Салама аль-ГудаміНаступникЮсуф ібн Абд-ар-Рахман аль-ФіхріКонфесіяісламРідаль-ЛахміБатькоКатір Абд ар-Рахман ібн Катір аль-Лахмі (*араб. عب�...

 

Giambattista della Porta

Italian polymath (1535–1615) Giambattista della PortaGiambattista della Porta in 1589Bornlate 1535Vico Equense, Kingdom of NaplesDied4 February 1615(1615-02-04) (aged 79)Naples, Kingdom of NaplesNationalityItalianScientific careerFieldsOccultism, astrology, alchemy, mathematics, meteorology, and natural philosophy Giambattista della Porta (Italian pronunciation: [dʒambatˈtista della ˈpɔrta]; 1535 – 4 February 1615), also known as Giovanni Battista Della Porta, was an Ital...