Dream Caused Flight of A Bee by Salvador Dali Statue

The full title "One second before awakening from a dream caused by the flight of a bee around a pomegranate" explains how Dal? was inspired by a dream that Gala reported to him. He saw the dream as an illustration of Freud's theory that dreams could be triggered by external stimuli. Gala, asleep and floating, feels the threat of the bee-sting, symbolised by the rifle with bayonet. The pomegranate, that probably attracted the bee, can be seen in the foreground and, in a huge version, on the left of the painting. It seems to be the source of the enormous fish with a snarling tiger leaping out of its mouth. In the background the elephant can be seen on long thin legs defying the laws of gravity, a recurring theme in Dal?'s works.