Instead of explaining that the central figure of the christian religion is a godlike creature who died crucified, we select the most striking detail of the Passion, the cross, which to the initiated and uninitiated alike signifies christianity. In many cases we do not even represent the cross as that instrument of torture really looked but we simplify it, we symbolize it, by using a conventional design in which the proportion between the cross pieces has been entirely disregarded.
Symbolization is a reduction of an object to one essential detail which has struck us as more important than the others.
A child will designate a watch as a “tick-tick,” a dog as a “bow-wow,” because to his simple mind, ticking and barking are the essential characteristics of a watch and a dog.
In dreams, we simplify the concept of the body and often represent it by a house. The authority vested in the father and mother causes them often to be symbolized by important personages, etc.
Without any more explanation, I shall sum up the various dream symbols whose selection is easily understood.
Birth is often symbolized by a plunge into water or some one climbing out of it or rescuing some one from the water.
Death is represented by taking a journey, being dead, by darksome suggestions.
A great many symbols in dreams are sexual symbols. The figure 3, all elongated or sharp objects, such as sticks, umbrellas, knifes, daggers, revolvers, plowshares, pencils, files, objects from which water flows, faucets, fountains, animals such as reptiles and fishes, in certain cases hats and cloaks are used to represent the male sex.
The female sex is symbolized on the contrary by hollow objects, pits, caves, boxes, trunks, pockets, ships.
The breasts are represented by apples, peaches and fruits in general, balconies, etc.