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Chapter 5
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Shutter Island, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Mental Illness and Delusion
Conspiracy and Paranoia
Guilt and Grief
Violence and War
Isolation
Summary
Analysis
Teddy has a dream about Dolores. In the dream, he is drunk, and Dolores is angry at him. When she yells at him for being drunk, he finds he cannot speak. After yelling at Teddy, Dolores turns around, and he notices she has burns on her back. A moment later, Teddy and Dolores are standing next to each other by a window, and Dolores's burns are gone. Instead, she is wet. Teddy asks her what happened, but she does not answer him.
This is one of several dreams Teddy has in the novel. Teddy’s dreams reflect his feelings about the past and the present. Sometimes their symbolism is direct and obvious, while other times it is obscure. Here, fire and water—two important and contrasting symbols—are evoked, and Dolores is associated with both. Her association with fire makes sense because it caused her death, but her relationship with water is unclear at the moment.
Themes
Teddy says he killed many people during the war. Dolores responds that it is the reason why he drinks. Then, they talk about Rachel. Dolores says, "She never left. You almost saw it. You almost did." Then, Dolores tells him he cannot leave. Teddy promises he will never leave her and hugs her. Dolores's stomach starts spraying out water, and she reminds Teddy that she is dead. Teddy insists that she is real and that she does not need to go.
Dolores’s comment about Teddy’s drinking suggests he used to drink, probably to excess, in the past. This explains why he was especially touchy when Dr. Naehring brought up the subject. Additionally, the dream implies that Rachel and Dolores are linked in some way, as Dolores has knowledge about Rachel.
Themes
In response, Dolores says, "I'm not. You have to face that. She's here. You're here. He's here too. Count the beds. He's here." When Teddy asks who "He" is, Dolores responds, "Laeddis." The name makes Teddy shudder, and he tries to deny Laeddis's existence. Dolores tells Teddy that he has known the truth all along, but Teddy refuses to acknowledge what she is saying. He hugs Dolores tightly for as long as he can while water leaks from her.
Themes
Teddy wakes up and looks at his notebook, where he copied the note Rachel left. Chuck is not awake yet, so Teddy spends some time trying to crack it. When Chuck and the orderlies wake up, Teddy wants to tell them about his dream but knows he cannot. It felt so real to him and brought up all the pain he has been trying to keep out of the spotlight. Instead of telling Chuck about his dream, he informs him that he managed to crack the code Rachel left in her note.
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