The Message of the Story

The story's message concerns the value and the danger of dreams. On one hand, Barton clearly understands why Sophie dreams; her fantasies bring colour, hope and a sense of possibility to a life that would otherwise be drab and discouraging. The desire to imagine a better future is shown as natural and even necessary, especially for the young and the poor who have little else to lift them.

On the other hand, the story delivers a gentle warning. Dreams are healthy only so long as they remain connected to reality and inspire real effort. When fantasy cuts itself off from the actual world, as Sophie's does, it stops being a source of hope and becomes a form of self-deception that can only end in disappointment. Sophie's hopeless wait by the canal is the proof: her imagined romance, having no basis in fact, leaves her alone and let down. The message, then, is balanced rather than harsh — dream, by all means, and let those dreams give meaning to life, but do not mistake the dream for the thing itself, for an escape into pure fantasy leads not to fulfilment but to sorrow. …