As the dream sequence begins we are faced with the first peril of Pym. To me this danger is on the lowest degree of any that Poe writes in the novel. In his recollection of the first part of the dream Pym says, "I was smothered to death between two huge pillows, by demons of the most ghastly and ferocious aspect."(28) The pillows in the dream, more than likely, represent Pym's own fear of sleeping too long in his box. As the ocean voyage started, Pym had no other desires than to sleep. He slept for such long amounts of time that it is possible that his mind was attempting to tell him that he had slept long enough, and if he did not awaken, he would surely perish in his fatigue. Poe moves from this rather easy death to one of a more religious stand off.

The next dreamscape is of a desert. There are two possible ways to explain the desert that faces Pym. One would be to say that this desert is a religious aspect, and the other would say that the desert is an internal conflict. Pym describes the deserts as, "limitless, and of the most forlorn and awe-inspiring character."(28-29) The first possible answer to this text is another religious allegory to the story of Moses. Moses. Who led his people across the desert, were much like Pym. They were fleeing something and set out to get as far away as possible. Pym wanted to leave his home and this boat was his desert. As the desert scene progresses we are faced with, "Immensely tall trunks of trees....Their roots were concealed in wide-spreading morasses, whose dreary water lay intensely black, still, and altogether terrible."(29) Here we have Pym believing that he will dehydrate before he is saved from his box. This scene presents numerous ideas to us. We have Pym in a desert with water that is not suitable for consumption, much the same as the ocean water that is surrounding the ship. Also, we again have this vision of darkness. Pym is looked in the hold of a ship, which is completely dark. The water that lay at the roots of the trees is also so dark that you cannot see beneath it to know what awaits you. Pym's desert, with the addition of one thing, quickly becomes an incredibly perilous place.

It is a common belief that when we dream, we are able to take parts of the world around us and use them in our fantasy world. Also, I believe that when we dream we have a subconscious method of knowing what is happening in our immediate environment. One explanation for the worst of the dreams that Pym faced was that his dog, Tiger, was near him during the dream and Pym's mind placed the dog as a lion. One reason that this may have happened is that it is possible that Pym was afraid of being found in hull by someone and being placed in restraints for boarding the ship. Another possibility is that Pym may have simply been over come by grief for his missed pet and by hunger. Though it might seem odd that I say hunger, we have to remember that Pym only had the supplies of food that were given him in the beginning of the

Some common words found in the essay are:
Moses Moses, Pym Tiger's, Night Poe, Pym Poe, Pym Pym, Tiger Tiger, dream sequence, God Satan, , desert pym, master dark, god save, buried alive, scene progresses, water lay, faith god, pym desert, pym pym,
Approximate Word count = 1497
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)