This document includes:
Over All summary
Individual descriptions of the key symbols
Individual description of the themes
description and summary of the epigraph
description and summary of the TRC
The Dream House by Craig Higginson: Key Quotes by Character/ Theme
The Dream House Book (Themes, Background and Character Analysis) Summary and Notes
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The Dream House.
Summary:
Patricia and her husband, Richard, are supposed to pack their
belongings to move to Durban, South Africa. She peeps through
the window of their house and notices a thick smog on the
valley. Their farm has been bought by property developers. As
a result, they are supposed to leave with immediate effect. The
couple has employed a housemaid named Beauty and a driver
named Bheki. Richard has dementia and needs special care. He
is directed to the dining room by Beauty to take breakfast. In
the dining room, Richard appears disorderly and unsettled.
Here, he explains about a weird dream he has had the previous
night.
Patricia is driven by Bheki to visit John Ford. Ford called Patricia
and instructed her to visit him before moving out of their
farmhouse. On their way to Ford’s house, Patricia tells Bheki
how lately she has been thinking about her father. She
remembers him as a good man who died young. Patricia has
had a secret affair with Ford. When they reach Ford’s house,
they are welcomed warmly. Ford serves Patricia tea and
biscuits to bid her goodbye. He also promises to be calling her
regularly.
After a long conversation, Ford hands Patricia a letter. Patricia
promises to open it after getting into Durban. She doesn’t
realize why Ford contacted her because he hasn’t
communicated anything meaningful. After getting back to the
farmhouse, they are astonished to find the whole valley
engulfed in a thick mist. The couple’s belongings remain
unpacked.
Looksmart visits the farm and has memories for Grace. Most of
the time, he thinks about her. He has done everything to forget
about her but in vain. Grace was killed violently. Looksmart
believes that she was murdered by Richard. Patricia and
Looksmart have an emotional confrontation about their past.
Eventually, Looksmart leaves the farm. After leaving, Patricia
, confronts her husband about Grace’s death. Before long,
Patricia is informed that Ford has shot himself. She feels sorry
for him. As they move out of the farm, they see Looksmart
going back to his childhood farmhouse.
Themes:
Identity and Belonging
The theme of identity and belonging is a recurring aspect that
Higginson explores in his characters in the novel. Looksmart
has always been caught in between two worlds, the world of
wealth and privilege afforded to him by Patricia and his
experiences at private school, and the world of rurality and
poverty that is his past and the life his mother and so many
previous generations have before him. This causes Looksmart
much conflict in his life and is one of the driving forces that
make Looksmart return to Dwaleni. Patricia accepts her
personal identity, however, with Looksmarts return to the farm,
she is faced with upheaval. Looksmart was her surrogate child
in so many ways, and her identity as his "mother" that is such a
vital part of her happiness in the years following Looksmart's
birth is challenged. Bheki is the opposite of these characters
and is completely at ease with who and what he is, content
with his place in society and life. His "go with the flow" nature is
one that Higginson uses to contrast Looksmart's conflict.
Love and Hate
The theme of love and hate is repeatedly explored through
Looksmart and Patricia's conversation and relationship.
Looksmart arrives at Dwaleni with the intention to hate Patricia
and to allow his years of dissatisfaction and grief at the loss of
Grace and bring it down on top of Patricia in a way to receive
what he perceives as revenge on Patricia. However, when he
arrives at Dwaleni, the nostalgia and feelings of love and
happiness that he experienced in his relationship with Patricia
revives, leaving Looksmart feeling far more conflicted than he
was when he first arrived at Dwaleni.
Truth and Memory
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