MovieChat Forums > Come Back, Little Sheba (1953) Discussion > Lola's final dream

Lola's final dream

posted 13 years ago by asterism2000
11 replies | jump to latest

Does anybody understand Lola's description of her final dream, where Sheba ends up dead on the playing field, all covered with mud? I'm afraid I don't easily "get" sybolisms or metaphors, even when easily interpreted.

By the way, I just saw this film for the second time and really think it's a great story, plus the performances by Booth and Lancaster were superb. As a kid, we used to rent the cottage next to Booth's in Cape Cod and I met her once...just don't remember too much about it.

[–] noirgirl 13 years ago

Well, she said that Doc kept her from going to help Sheba, so she blames him as well for how their lives turned out. A horribly depressing movie.

[–] noirgirl 13 years ago

Well, she said that Doc kept her from going to help Sheba, so she blames him as well for how their lives turned out. A horribly depressing movie.

[–] scorseseholic 13 years ago

I watched this movie last night so I'll see if I can recall most of the details and interpret them for you. First, a few characters mentioned in the dream that are symbols:

Marie: A younger representation of Lola
Turk: A representation of Lola's ex boyfriend Dutch, I believe his name was, whom Doc was always jealous of.
Sheeba: a representation of Lola and Doc's past

I seem to recall the dream beginning with the crowd and Marie cheering over Turk's athletic abilities. Suddenly Doc steps in and outshines him completely (a reflection of Lola's ex boyfriend being "beaten out" by Doc). They start to walk (this can signify years passing and growing old together). Then it begins to rain, which I'm sure is a symolic gesture of Doc's ultimate redemption. They come across Sheeba (remember she represents the past) a white dog, who is lying dead covered in mud. Usually in literature, a strong contrast in colors means some kind of conflict. So their past was wonderful, full of joy, beauty, youth and ambition (represented by the white of the dog) but also tainted by the heartache of their lost baby (represented by the mud on the dog). Doc tells Lola they can't stay with Sheeba; which in reality, means that they can't keep dwelling on the past, they need to let it go and move on.

Those were my thoughts anyway...."dreams are funny."

"Dolores, I have five days to complete this picture. Don't get goofy on me."

[–] BelleCBelle 13 years ago

Wow, you expressed in words what I thought, and wrote about it so much better than I would have. Until Lola narrated her dream to Doc I didn't fully understand the importance of Sheba, although I knew Sheba was probably the baby that they lost. I loved the film. The ending gave me goose bumps. A film this good comes along so rarely - simple, joyful, and magnificent.

Human Rights: Know them, demand them, defend them.

[–] TrangPak2 10 years ago

Brilliant summation my friend :-)

[–] Alfriend 10 years ago

Beautifully stated.

[–] jescci 10 years ago

There was another part to the dream. Turk kept changing into other people and Lola's father, who was running the meet, disqualified him. Then Doc stepped in.

I took this to mean Lola had many boyfriends, with whom, I'm guessing, she slept, much to the displeasure of her father. Lola may in fact have been, as Doc accused while drunk, a slut.

Doc, on the other hand may have been pure. He mentions in another scene how one moment of ardor ruined his life - or words to that effect.

This puzzled me a bit, because if the characters are supposed to be in their mid fifties, Doc was certainly a late-bloomer! Also puritanical and repressed. Another reason, aside from age, why Lancaster, while wonderful, was miscast. Hard to accept that hunky guy was ever sexually reticent.

[–] steelmagnolia58 7 years ago

I really enjoyed reading all the comments in this thread. Terrific insight.
Alcoholism and depression are still seriously misunderstood in our generation, and Lola' s dream was a good way to summarize the story/their lives & co- dependence issues, so much more.
Thanks, folks!

[–] steelmagnolia58 7 years ago

[–] MissMargoChanning (6630) 7 years ago

I like this movie. Just saw it again for the umpteenth time.....
I always thought that it wasn't quite so much about the whole dream. It was what Doc said in the end of her dream..... She said that he told her that she couldn't stay there with the dead Little Sheba. They had to keep going on.
I'm sure that Lola had already come to the realization that her little dog wasn't coming back. The dog was probably dead. I believe that the "symbolisms or metaphors" had to do with moving forward.... Don't look back....
Lola finally realized that in the end.

EDIT: I just checked out some of the other posts here. I see that my interpretation of the dream is the Reader's Digest version....
[CHEERS]

[–] telegonus (727) 6 years ago

That's my interpretation as well. The story ends on a note of sadness mixed with optimism, and the writing, while simple, more than gets the job done.