Previous
97. Dream House as Hypochondria
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
One day, the woman from the Dream House asks Machado, “Who knows about us?” Machado knows that she means, “Who knows that I yell at you like this?” Machado first says that nobody does. When the woman doesn’t believe her, she tells her that only her roommates know.
That Machado can interpret the woman’s use of the word “us” as a reference to her abusive behavior highlights that the relationship has become so fraught with violence as to be defined by it.
Themes
