A New Kind of Dreaming – Summary

Anthony Eaton’s a new Kind of Dreaming helps the reader to recognise the various challenges and conflicts that cause the characters to change and grow. Anthony Eaton best expresses Jamie as an outsider that is trying to find his place in the world, while uncovering the secrets of Port Barren’s shady past. This changes Jamie from an adolescent delinquent to a responsible and admirable person. Jaime develops friendships that lead him to trusting and sympathetic qualities that are unusual for him in his past of crime. Jamie faces a challenge to build a stronger relationship with Cameron, but this is an obstacle for Cameron as he tries to understand Jamie and tries to push the stereotypes of him away. Early in Jamie’s arrival in Port Barren, he evolves different relationships and forms a close bond with Cameron that challenges him to trust and care. His mentor and guide in this story is Archie, who challenges Jamie with a dreamtime story called ‘The Wanderers and the Lost Ones’ which makes him really think about where he lays. While Jamie was traveling through the desert with Cameron, he is challenged to take on new qualities and discover a new person. The challenges and conflicts that Jamie faces, turns him into a new and more preferable individual. Body Paragraph 1: As Jamie begins to strengthen his relationship with Cameron he becomes a different and greater character. Jamie discovers more admirable qualities from Cameron such as trust and loyalty. Cameron was the one person that didn’t judge Jamie by his reputation or personality and stood by him the whole entire journey, this was the beginning of their long lasting relationship. This experience was new to Jamie as he spent of lot of his life changing foster homes. He valued Cameron for his down to earth character. This example is shown to the reader from the novel when Cameron says, â€Å"I was out for my morning run when I noticed you lying here, you sure you’re okay? † [Page 53] this shows that Cameron really cares about Jamie and for his welfare even through everyone were judging him for his criminal records and stereotypes of him were soon spreading across the community. Having Cameron in his life changed Jamie and challenged him to become a more preferable person. Body Paragraph 2: A challenge that Jamie has to face and overcome is when he tries to have some sense of belonging to the community of Port Barren. Archie, his guardian throughout the novel, tells him his version of a dreamtime story called ‘The wanderers and the lost ones’. This story challenges Jamie to think whether he is lost or a wanderer. This makes him feel responsible for finding out who is disturbing the balance and it is up to him to try and restore it. This is shown to the reader when Jamie thinks, â€Å"It was weird, no beginning, no middle, no end, no plot. And yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something important behind the strange words. He pondered it but couldn’t make anything of it† [page 126]. The story makes Jamie wonder who he is and how he belongs in the community. This challenges him to think more about himself and what he needs to do to change and become a better person. This also made him change the way he thought about himself, it made him to thrive to do the best he can. Conclusion: Jamie faces many conflicts and challenges throughout the novel and they all have an effect that makes him change in character. Jamie’s close relationship with Cameron helps him to thrive to be more confident about himself. This also gives him the good qualities to trust people and give them respect that they deserve. Archie’s story ‘The wonderers and the Lost ones’ challenges Jamie to look for the answer and made him change the way he though about himself, the story left him wanting him to have some sense of belonging in his life. Trekking through the desert has changed Jamie as a person and the way he looks at life. Jamie experiences countless challenges and conflicts through the novel, a new kind of dreaming, and all lead him to growth and change in the way he lives.