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25. Dream House as Omen
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
The woman from the Dream House is the first person Machado can call her girlfriend, so when the woman tells her, “This is what it’s like to date a woman,” Machado trusts her. She remembers how often Machado’s father used to say that women are emotionally sensitive. She used to think he was being ignorant, but now that her first lesbian relationship is so emotionally volatile, she’s starting to believe he’s right.
Because the woman has had more experience in same-sex female relationships, she uses this to manipulate Machado’s feelings, leaving Machado with little power to determine whether she she’s reacting rationally to the woman’s behavior. Machado’s memory of her father’s reductive comments demonstrates how quickly a stereotype can take hold, even if it’s only based on anecdotal evidence.
Themes
