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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 goes on a ski trip with her parents. She calls Machado and suggests they have phone sex, but Machado says it isn’t a good time right now. The woman tells her that if she isn’t attracted to her, she should just say so. In fact, she says that maybe they shouldn’t be together at all, seeing as Machado isn’t “into” her. The woman seems to be breaking up with Machado, who hangs up the phone. The woman calls back several times, but Machado rejects each call. Her roommate John hears her sobbing and comes in to comfort her.
The woman interprets Machado’s refusal as a total withholding of love, creating a situation in which Machado has to agree to everything she proposes in order to prove her devotion. The resulting dynamic is an unequal one—not only that, but it leaves Machado with no way to set her own boundaries while remaining in the relationship.
Themes
Machado finally answers a call from the woman from the Dream House, who insists she didn’t break up with her. Machado hears the woman’s father over the phone; he asks if she’s talking to “that fucking bitch.” Over time, the woman breaks up with Machado like this several times.
The woman seems to dictate the narrative of the relationship, deciding how everything she—and Machado—says should be interpreted without making any effort to empathize with Machado’s understanding or reaction.
Themes
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