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Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in In the Dream House, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Queer Visibility
Christianity and Shame
Abuse, Trauma, and Healing
Storytelling, Responsibility, and Freedom
Summary
Analysis
When Machado was a child, her parents and siblings called her a “drama queen” because she felt and responded to things deeply. She’s angry that adults teach girls that their feelings aren’t accurate or trustworthy. She wonders how people decide whether someone is a reliable narrator, and what happens to people who apparently make up their own truth.
The term “drama queen” is blatantly gendered, discriminating against women for behavior that not only women can participate in. It’s an easy way to taunt and invalidate women’s experiences, and this is an attitude against which Machado has to struggle in order to express the truth of her story.
Themes
