Analysis for SoiledGreen (Jason), 11 April 2001

This is how you described the room:

i awake on a mattress. i sit upwards, and look around. all of the walls are covered with graffiti. close friends names. to the east, there is a small marshall amp. leaning on the amp is a fender squier strat. i look towards the south, there is a closet with no doors, and a small desk. on the desk are documents. they are unreadable at this hour. to the west, there is the mattress and the window. and to the east is a chair. i look down to the carpet. it is stained and brown.

The initial room is the subject’s childhood. What interests us here is the general atmosphere of the room, in addition to the level of furnishings described by the subject. This comfortable room suggests a childhood that was pleasant. Few, simple furnishings tells us that the subject has few memories of that time. The graffiti suggests strong childhood bonds, close friendships that were highly significant for the subject.

You wanted to leave the room.

The subject wanted to become an adult.

This is how you described the forest:

i walk out to my back yard. i look around, and it is cloudy. i am surrounded by oaks and elms, and they are all dead. all of the decaying remains are crumbling under my feet. there is a slight cold chill in the air.

The forest is growing up, and the trees are those adults with whom the subject interacted at that time. Stunted, damaged, or absent trees imply a dearth of adult interaction with the subject. A semi-dark forest tells us that the subject felt somewhat oppressed by the attention the adults gave.

This is how you described the path:

the path is old and worn, but because of the age of it, no one has traveled down it in a while. it is narrow, and the trees are closely knit. i feel like my mind is free, and i can finally breathe. i feel like i am back home again, and they let me know that i am welcome here.

Adolescence is represented by the path through the forest. A narrow path suggests that the subject had limited options for emotional growth at this time. The lack of evidence of fellow travelers suggests strong feelings of isolation at that time. That plants are the major source of obstructions tells us that the subject’s problems arose mostly from interactions with adults.

This is how you described the water:

i come to a small creek, and it runs downhill into a small pond, with a levee. i cross over to the other side, and dabble the surface with a small stick. i see a fish swimming along, against the lazy current.

The water is the subject’s sexuality. What interests us here is the clarity of the water (representing attitude) and its movement (representing libido). The movement of the water suggests a normal, average if somewhat playful sex drive. Clear water tells us that the subject has no issues regarding sex. The presence of life in or around the water indicates a strong desire for children.

When you came to the water, you went around it.

The subject is not interested in new sexual experiences.

This is how you described the cup:

i continue across, and on to the levee. the trees are high, and so is the grass. there is a break in the trees where a drainage is connected to a smaller stream. i hear the pipe sucking water, and on the other side, i can hear it gurgle. i look along, and i see where fishermen sit during the summer. along the things i find, there is a small wooden bowl. it has its natural satin, with one red stripe across the rim of it.

The vessel, or specifically the practicality of the vessel, is how the subject approaches marriage or bonding. A practical container indicates that the subject is pragmatic when it comes to questions of marriage.

You took the cup and filled it.

The subject is interested in marriage, and sex will be a significant part of that relationship.

This is how you described the key:

it is a small rusted skeleton key. from the looks of it, it has sat out in the weather a while. it has the cutout on the head of it of a heart. it might belong to the boat house, or the cabin.

The key is the ideal career for the subject. What interests us here is how the key appears (representing how others view the career) and what it may open (representing the subject’s goals for the career). Having the key open a house, car, or other commonplace use tells us that the subject has no extraordinary expectations about a career. Old-fashioned keys suggest that the subject desires a traditional career.

You confronted the bear.

In a crisis, the subject prefers the direct, no-nonsense approach.

When you came to the wall, you jumped over it.

The wall represents death: by jumping over it, the subject not only acknowledges death but has come to accept its finality.