Final answer:
Dreams in literature may reflect characters' unconscious states, as per psychoanalytic theories like those of Freud and Jung. They're often cryptic due to connections to unconscious desires, and may offer insight into characters' personal struggles and inner lives.
Step-by-step explanation:
In literature, the analysis of dreams within narratives often draws from psychoanalytic criticism, which suggests that dreams can be a reflection of the unconscious psychological states of characters. Sigmund Freud, the progenitor of psychoanalytic theory, proposed that dreams are disguised fulfillments of repressed wishes, indicating that they can often be confusing or have a cryptic nature because of their connection to unconscious desires and fears. Carl Jung, who took Freud's theories further, believed that dreams tap into the collective unconscious and include universal archetypes which are accessible and meaningful across different cultures.
The narrator's dreams in the novel being discussed could potentially reflect a Freudian perspective if they symbolize repressed wishes, or could reflect a Jungian perspective if they carry archetypical significance. Without explicit content from the dreams, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact nature of the narrator's dreams and his confusion. However, it is clear that dreams in literature often serve to provide insight into a character's inner life and personal struggles, as they do in the provided examples.