Dream as a Gateway to the Collective Unconscious: A Jungian Interpretation of Ato’s Dream in The Dilemma of a Ghost

Abstract

This paper undertakes a psychoanalytical exploration of Ato's dream in The Dilemma of a Ghost, intricately framed within Carl Jung's theoretical construct of the collective unconscious. Ato's journey to Elmina and Cape Coast—historical sites of the transatlantic slave trade—signifies inherited trauma within the collective unconscious. These locations transcend personal experience, embodying ancestral and historical pain. Through Jungian archetypes, the dream reflects Ato’s psychological transformation as he grapples with suppressed aspects of his ancestral past. The coast in the dream symbolizes the threshold between conscious and unconscious, revealing Ato’s confrontation with his darkness and post-colonial identity. This dreamscape, charged with historical meaning, illustrates the tension between individual and collective identity, portraying Ato’s inner journey toward self-discovery amid the enduring shadows of colonialism.