You could argue that she didn’t want to go where the train would take her; perhaps her spouse insisted on vacationing in a place that she didn’t like. I would look more deeply, however, and posit an...

You could argue that she didn’t want to go where the train would take her; perhaps her spouse insisted on vacationing in a place that she didn’t like. I would look more deeply, however, and posit an underlying inner confl ict. Suppose that the train trip represents her journey to psychological maturity. She partly wants to grow up and be her own woman (and catch the train), but is also afraid of surrendering her dependence on her parents and the protection that they provide. The latter wish is stronger at this moment, so she arranges in her dream to miss the train. Freud would presumably see an Oedipal confl ict somewhere, perhaps with the train as a phallic symbol.