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
Machado says the Dream House is a real place, bordered by a field and a forest. The landlord is “not a man but an entire university.” She tells the reader they could visit it if they wanted to, though she “wouldn’t recommend it.”
Machado wants the reader to understand that her story isn’t a theoretical or imagined event, but something that actually happened.
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van Waardenberg, Sophie. "In the Dream House 3. Dream House as Not a Metaphor." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 21 Jun 2023. Web. 27 Apr 2025.
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