Detailed notes that summarise the English Home Language IEB syllabus of The Dream House by Craig Higginson. Included in these notes are important quotes, character analysis and the main themes of the novel.
• They live on a dairy farm (Dwaleni Farm
• The Queen of England was also South Africa’s Queen because SA were colonised by the Britis
Time Frame
• Looksmart is born in: ± 197
• He leaves the house in: 198
• He comes back to see Patricia (25 years later): 201
• The whole book is set over 24 hours/ 1.5-2 days
Patricia Wile
• She can’t walk very well- has a walker and a wheelchai
• She is overweight- she can’t t in the mirro
• She cares about Beaut
• When Looksmart initially left the farm she couldn’t understand why but then again she struggled
to understate many thing
• She makes someone shot the two dogs= practica
• Not very close with Richard anymor
• The one good man in her life is her father even though she is dea
• Fell in love with John Ford- been lovers for thirty year
• Laughing and positive- warm bubbly wome
• Started a savings account to help beauty with her dream hous
• Lost her mother - Richard and Patricia found a commonality in this because they both lost their
mother
• Richard and Patricia are tolerant and their relationship is distant
• Used to being in charge, doesn’t like looking at the present= this is what Looksmart says about
Patrici
• When Looksmart enters the house she thinks he is a robber and someone has come to rape her.
She doesn’t know it is hi
• Looksmart thinks she is frightening but she feels hurt when he says tha
• She is looking through boxes trying to nd something and she remembers the shing inciden
• Her and Looksmart had a close relationship in the past
• Looksmart believes that she afraid of the trut
• She has a friend from school- Fiona Johnson- who was raped and her throat cut (farm murder
• She was there when Looksmart was born and his mother gave him his nam
• She says that his mother gave him a english name to please Patrici
• There were lots of small acts of kindness that she has done but Looksmart can’t see her as kind
anymore because she treats Grace as if she is in another category and not human
• Grace was attacked by the dog but Patricia says that it is her fault and that she provoked he
• Patricia is scared of the trut
• When looksmart told Patrica that he raped and murdered Grace, her perspective of him
completely change
• Beauty asks Patricia “Do you still want him?” after what she has been told about Richard
• When Patricia leaves she wants them to know the house down “brick by brick”. She wants to get
ride of all he unhappy memories that are left behind
• The Durban house is her Dream house= she can start again in a new house. She wants to make
new, good memories
• Looksmart is pushing her away saying “you know nothing about me
• About Looksmart “she nds she likes him for his lies far better than she likes him for his truths
• She wants to dig up the grave because she wants Rachel to be close to her even when she leave
• She thinks about leaving him behind on the farm “He could be a parting gift to Looksmart
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, • She thinks that John has been murdered but its not true“farm murder
• Lack of imagination= she couldn’t foresee what would happen in the future (John was actually
unhappy and would kill himself
• When she read the suicide letter from John she might feel relief in knowing that she was really
love
• A lot has happened in the past day which may have effected Patrici
• She can’t understand why he isn’t more vulnerable in his letter and why he can’t let go of his
obsession to be in contro
• She used to give Looksmart letters every Sunday for ve years and also gave him lots of tuck
money
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