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
William slouches on the deck outside his house and listens to Gertrude as she gossips on the phone. She complains about Tilly, who would not give them back the clothes she was mending, and she talks about the new clothes she will buy when she is no longer pregnant. William pours himself a drink and looks sadly across the garden. Lesley pulls up in the car, and Gertrude hangs up the phone and rushes off.
William did not marry Gertrude because he loved her, but because of social pressure from the conservative Dungatar residents, who believed that William and Gertrude had slept together and therefore felt that the only proper thing would be for them to marry. Sex between unmarried people was considered shameful in conservative societies in the 1950s (when the story is set). Although William believed that he could make a future for himself in Dungatar and that he and Gertrude could be happy together, these beliefs have turned out to be illusions. Although Gertrude pretended to love William, she was really only interested in his money and the prestige that his family name would bring her.
Themes
Una Pleasance, Beula, Lois, Ruth, Gertrude, Elsbeth, Mona, Lesley, and Irma assemble in Marigold’s house. Marigold watches them nervously, anxious that her clean floor will become dirtied. She hastily takes one of her medicines as Lois lumbers around clumsily. Muriel causes a stir when she arrives because she’s wearing a dress that Tilly made her. Una has put a mannequin in the room with one of her creations draped on it, and Purl arrives and asks if Una made this outfit when she was in college.
Marigold is neurotic and is traumatized by past events, such as her husband’s abusive treatment and her son’s death. She relies on prescription medication to keep calm as modern remedies for everyday ailments became more commonly available in the 1950s. Meanwhile, Una is clearly not a talented dressmaker. Although the Dungatar women did not know anything about fashion before Tilly arrived, now that they have experienced to Tilly’s modern and fashionable designs, they can see that Una’s work is subpar. This suggests that once people have had a taste of something new, it is hard for them to go back.
Themes
Marigold composes herself and serves cakes and tea to the women. Just then, Nancy bursts in and knocks Marigold over, causing Marigold to spill cake and tea on the carpet. Una is about to start her presentation when Gertrude yells and doubles over. Her water breaks on the carpet, and several people make a hasty exit. Lesley faints immediately. Gertrude cries out to fetch a doctor, but Beula reminds her that there isn’t one in Dungatar.
Marigold’s obsession with cleanliness is ironic because, although her house is spotless on the surface, underneath her home life is soiled and corrupted, as Marigold is abused and controlled by her husband. The mess that the women make in Marigold’s house reveals the true state of Marigold’s life and the emotional squalor beneath the surface.
Themes
Elsbeth snarls at Gertrude to be quiet—she is making a scene—and she sends Mona to fetch help. Mona gets into the car and drives across the lawn, tearing up the grass. Gertrude snaps back at Elsbeth, and she gives birth on the carpet. Beula whispers to Lois that Gertrude has been married to William for eight months. When Evan arrives home, he is shocked by the scene that greets him: his garden is destroyed, his living room carpet is ruined, and Marigold is sedated in bed.
Marigold and Evan present a respectable façade to the world—they have a clean house and a nice garden. However, underneath, their home life is squalid and Evan abuses and controls Marigold—he drugs her with prescription medication so that he can sexually assault her. The chaos and destruction that ensues in the house represents the true corrupt nature of Evan and Marigold’s life together. The closing image—of Marigold heavily sedated—reflects her position in this mess (she is unaware of what her husband does because she is always drugged).
Themes
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