Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Dibs in Search of Self, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Therapy, Empathy, and Non-Judgment
Parental Expectations vs. Self-Determination
Trust and Security
Intelligence vs. Emotional and Social Skills
Summary
Analysis
When Dibs comes in for his last session before summer, he asks to spend part of it in Axline’s office. He wants to add to the tape that he previously made, saying that this is his last visit to the playroom before summer. Then he and Axline go back to the playroom and Dibs once again builds his town. He sets up two houses, which he designates as his house and Axline’s house; he also sets up his grandmother’s house. Dibs sets up a church, a jail, and a big chestnut tree, and he says his father’s office is on the first floor of the jail. He also places his mother and sister in jail.
Dibs placing his family in jail relates back to his desire for them to understand how he feels when they lock him in his room. However, he makes an important distinction: his father’s office is in the jail, meaning that his family isn’t exactly locked up this time. Even this illustrates how Dibs is moving past some of the harshest feelings that he has had toward his family.
Themes
Dibs picks out a male figurine in the toy set and explains that the man is Dibs. He then takes a child figurine out of the city that he’s built and exchanges it for the grown man figure. When he asks if he can come back to the playroom one more time after summer, Axline says yes. Dibs then picks up the two figures—the man and the boy—and says that both of the figures are himself.
This anecdote encapsulates Dibs’s acceptance of himself. Even as he acknowledges that he is growing up, he also recognizes that there are many different versions of himself. He has resolved his struggle between being an infant and acting capable by admitting that he can be both at the same time. What’s most important is that he can determine what he wants to be.
Themes
Dibs says that the mother, father, brother and sister figures are a family and they’ll go to the beach together with the grandmother. The jail is next to Axline’s house, and Axline doesn’t like jails so he buries the jail. Dibs’s house and Axline’s house are moving further apart. He then explains that the big Dibs figure goes to school, and the little Dibs figure gets sick and shrinks until he’s gone; Dibs buries the little figure in the sand. The big Dibs figure is strong and brave. Then he says goodbye to Axline.
Dibs’s play not only shows his acknowledgement of growing up, but also that he is becoming more secure in himself as he does so. The reference to his and Axline’s houses moving further apart indicates that he knows their sessions are coming to an end, and he has gained enough independence and security that this does not upset him. As he notes, he recognizes his newfound strength and bravery.
Themes
Axline explains that Dibs came to terms with himself—Dibs poured out his hurt feelings and emerged with strength and security. While his upset feelings with his family still flare up sometimes, they’re now much less intense. Dibs is building a concept of himself that is in harmony with his abilities; he learned to understand his feelings and cope with them. He is no longer angry or guilty—he has confidence and security. He’s not afraid to be himself anymore.
In this passage, Axline sums up Dibs’s development over the course of the sessions. By providing a secure environment, Axline helped Dibs express himself through play, determine what he himself wanted to do (regardless of his parents’ expectations), and use his newfound emotional intelligence and social skills to let his intellect shine through.
Themes
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