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38. Dream House as Destination
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
Even the name “Bloomington,” where the woman from the Dream House now lives, seems like a promise to Machado because it sounds like a soft, unfurling thing.
The fact that Machado interprets the city name as a blooming flower—and that this chapter has “Utopia” in its title—reminds the reader that she’s prone to romanticizing situations, even after her partner has proven to be habitually abusive. Their relationship seems to be a repeating pattern of hope and fear.
Themes
