Changes: Totem

Revision as of 03:26, 3 July 2011


Totem
Item Information
Height	Varies
Weight	Varies
Used by	Most members of the team
Manufactured by	Each team member crafts their own
Usage	An anchor to remind the subject that they are dreaming
Construction	Varies
Behind the Scenes
First Appearance	Inception: The Cobol Job

A Totem is an object that is used to test if oneself is in one's own reality (dream or non-dream) and not in another person's dream. A Totem has a specially modified weight, balance, or feel in the real world but in a dream of someone who does not know it well, the characteristics of the totem will very likely be off. In order to protect its integrity, only the totem's owner should ever handle it. That way, the owner is able to tell whether or not they are in someone else's dream. In the owner's own dream world, the totem will feel correct. Any ordinary object which has been in some way modified to affect its balance, weight, or feel will work as a totem.

Totems in Inception

Dom Cobb's totem is his wedding band. Although most people misconstrue his totem as the spinning top, he is actually spinning the top to remind himself that the owner of the totem, his wife Mal, can only be in existence in the dream world and is in fact deceased in reality. Dom can be seen wearing the ring while he is in the world of the dream to represent his intact relationship with Mal only while he is dreaming. In reality Dom does not wear the ring to help remind himself that Mal is still dead.
Ariadne's totem is a slightly-hollowed out golden bishop chess piece. She deliberately hollows it out so that it is easier to tip over; therefore the weight of the bishop when she tips it determines whether she is awake or still dreaming.
Arthur's totem is a weighted red die. The purpose of the loaded die is to make one side heavier than the rest; therefore when rolled the heavy side will flip down and only the opposite side can face up. Should the upright side of the die be different than the original, he will know he is dreaming.
Eames' totem is a red casino poker chip. The use of the poker chip is not entirely clear in the movie.

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 ==Totems in Inception==
+*[[Dominic Cobb|Dom Cobb's]] totem is his wedding band. Although most people misconstrue his totem as the spinning top, he is actually spinning the top to remind himself that the owner of the totem, his wife Mal, can only be in existence in the dream world and is in fact deceased in reality. Dom can be seen wearing the ring while he is in the world of the dream to represent his intact relationship with Mal only while he is dreaming. In reality Dom does not wear the ring to help remind himself that Mal is still dead.
-*[[Dominic Cobb|Dom Cobb's]] totem is a spinning top that originally belonged to [[Mal]]. Should he spin the top and it topples over, he is awake; if it continues to spin, then he is still dreaming.
 <!-- The ring is not a totem, it is a projection and has no real world equivalent. Do not add it again. Anyone who alters it from now on will be receiving a few days of vacation time for vandalism. Two people can have the same Totem, it's just that both will know the balance so it will act real in both of their dreams. -->
 *[[Ariadne]]'s totem is a slightly-hollowed out golden bishop chess piece. She deliberately hollows it out so that it is easier to tip over; therefore the weight of the bishop when she tips it determines whether she is awake or still dreaming.