Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Dressmaker, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Transformation, Illusion, and Truth
Vengeance and Suffering
Secrets, Hypocrisy, and Conformity
Memories, Progress, and the Past
Healing, Medicine, and Power
Summary
Analysis
Lesley and Mona give Una Pleasance (Elsbeth’s seamstress cousin) a guided tour of Dungatar. Una seems unimpressed and wonders why Lesley (who claims to be from a rich, European family) wanted to live here. As they pass Pratt’s, Evan Pettyman appears and lecherously says that he will show Una around. Lesley tells Una that Evan is the wealthiest man in town, and so Una happily goes off with Evan and gets into the front seat of his car.
Lesley is clearly lying about who he is, and the Dungatar residents are easily fooled by his story because they are vain and believe that Dungatar is an exciting and cosmopolitan place—in reality, the town is old-fashioned and dull. While Gertrude and Elsbeth think they have shown refinement by hiring Lesley, they have really showcased their ignorance by being taken in by a conman. Meanwhile, Evan uses his wealth and power to get his own way and to impress women. No one is willing to criticize Evan for this, however, because they are afraid that he will retaliate against them.
Themes
Tilly sits out on her porch that afternoon and listens to the cries from the Dungatar football field, where a game is being played. She is afraid that if Dungatar loses, the townspeople will come to the house and attack her. When the game is over and it becomes clear that Dungatar have won, she goes inside and sits with Molly. Molly is reading the local paper and she slyly tells Tilly that Dungatar has a new dressmaker, Una Pleasance. Una is staying with Evan Pettyman and she’s a guest of the Dungatar Ladies Social Club, who now call themselves Le Salon.
Tilly knows that the townspeople blame her for Teddy’s death. Tilly is already an outcast in Dungatar and has no one to defend her from unfair attacks. Teddy was popular among the townspeople, and Tilly knows that they will take their pain and frustration (both about Teddy and the lost football game) out on her, even though neither of these things are her fault. Meanwhile, Le Salon is a reference to French salons, which were gatherings of intellectuals (particularly educated women) that were popular in the 1700s. The Dungatar Ladies use the name to present themselves as cultured intellectuals, when really, many of them are ignorant and have no experience of the world beyond Dungatar.
Themes
The next day, Tilly finds Mona on her doorstep. Lesley, Una, and Elsbeth sit in the car behind her. Mona nervously asks Tilly if they can have back all the half-finished clothes that people have ordered. Tilly says no, because she has not been paid for her work, and she slams the door on Mona.
The townspeople are hypocrites: they have been happy to make use of Tilly’s dressmaking services (and even failed to pay her for her efforts), yet they still treat her like an outcast and refuse to defend her from unfair persecution.
Themes
That evening, Sergeant Farrat comes to visit Tilly. He is dressed in a homemade Russian Cossack outfit and he’s brought another matador costume for Tilly to mend for him. Tilly cheers up a little at this, and she listens as Sergeant Farrat tells her about the Dungatar Ladies Social Club. They have organized a fundraiser and a cultural event with the neighboring towns, Winyerp and Itheca. There’s even going to be a poetry reading, Sergeant Farrat tells her.
Sergeant Farrat wears many different costumes because he is one of the only townspeople who is truly open-minded and who accepts people without judgment. This means that Sergeant Farrat is open to change himself, and this is symbolized by his frequently changing outfits.
Themes
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