# What The Power of Dreams and Illusion means in The Black Opal

> Characters are sustained by dreams—Michael's vision of a perfect opal, Paul's fantasies of wealth, Sophie's hopes for a singing career—which both comfort and lead to disillusionment or tragedy.

## Explanation

Characters are sustained by dreams—Michael's vision of a perfect opal, Paul's fantasies of wealth, Sophie's hopes for a singing career—which both comfort and lead to disillusionment or tragedy.

Paul dreams of leaving the Ridge with Sophie for a glamorous life in Sydney, a fantasy the other men dismiss as naive.

Michael's dream of a perfect opal sustains him; his brief fantasy of single-handedly changing the world is contrasted with his humble reality.

The moonlit garden and orange blossoms create a dreamlike escape for Sophie and Armitage, while Arthur Henty's poetic fantasy of Sophie as a 'fairy's child' underscores the allure and danger of romantic illusion.

Sophie's pursuit of a singing career in America embodies the power of dreams, while Michael's illusions about controlling her fate are shattered.

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