Previous
59. Dream House as Cycle
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 version of Gaslight Machado referred to earlier was actually a remake of one from a few years earlier. When MGM set out to film it, they attempted to destroy every trace of the first version. They didn’t succeed, but Machado calls their attempt to eliminate the evidence “weirdly on the nose.”
There’s an irony to MGM’s attempt to erase and overshadow the first version of the film. It illustrates the huge influence that powerful people have to control the stories people remember, reference, and share. However, their failure could represent a spark of hope—a sign that quieter, less powerful storytellers can still leave their mark on the archive.
Themes
