Previous
6. Dream House as an Exercise in Point of View
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
Machado meets the woman from the Dream House at dinner with a mutual friend in Iowa City. She is “that mix of butch and femme that drives [Machado] crazy.” The woman, like Machado, is a writer; she’s moved here from New York. While Machado feels like all of her female crushes in the past were “out of reach,” this woman makes physical contact with her and catches her eye. Machado, wanting to spend longer with her, buys tea so that she can stay in the diner for longer.
Machado’s surprise that the woman pays attention to her reveals that she often feels inadequate or less appealing than the women around her. This sets up a power imbalance in their relationship even before it exists: Machado doesn’t feel she deserves affection. Rather, she feels grateful for it.
Themes
