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
At Elsbeth Beaumont’s house, Windswept Crescent, Elsbeth tearfully looks out the window and waits for William to come home. William is in the pub, however, drinking before the footballer’s dance. He follows Scotty Pullit into the hall, which is already crowded and where Faith and Hamish O’Brien’s band are warming up. William feels miserable because of the money his mother owes to Alvin Pratt, which William now must pay. He wanders to the snack table and bumps into Gertrude Pratt, who smiles and invites him to dance.
Elsbeth is a powerful woman in Dungatar because people believe she is rich, even though she is actually poor and deeply in debt. In fact, her façade of wealth is just an illusion. She wants to control William and feels that she is better than the other Dungatar residents, who she does not want him to mingle with. In this way, Elsbeth reflects the general attitude of the Dungatar residents, who all judge each other and hypocritically think that they are better than everybody else—even though they all secretly engage in behaviors which would be considered taboo and immoral by the other residents.
Themes
William dances around the hall with Gertrude and feels comforted by her presence. When they take a break, Scotty Pullit jokes that William can’t afford Gertrude. William thinks glumly that this is probably true, but Gertrude follows him and asks if he will join her on a walk outside. William agrees, and she leads him from the hall.
People in Dungatar believe that Gertrude is a social climber and that she wants to marry William for his money and prestigious family. This supports the idea that everyone in Dungatar values one another based on their superficial characteristics—for better or worse.
Themes
The hall falls silent as Teddy and Tilly enter together. Tilly feels guilt and shame overwhelm her and she tries to step back, but Teddy drives her forward into the hall. Her dress fits her beautifully; it’s made of green georgette. The other girls feel inadequate in their quaint, old-fashioned dresses. Teddy leads Tilly to a deserted table and he buys each of them a drink. He urges Tilly to dance, but she refuses. No one speaks to them for the rest of the night.
Tilly is treated as an outcast. She represents the outside world and the changes in fashion, culture, and society which took place in the 1950s and which the conservative Dungatar residents shy away from. However, while the residents fear modernity and progress, they residents are also jealous of Tilly’s outfit. This suggests that these changes are inevitable and will eventually reach Dungatar, whether the inhabitants like it or not.
Themes
Mona reads in the corner of the living room while Elsbeth sits by the window, still waiting for William to come home. At last, tired of being ignored, Mona gets up and goes to bed. In her room, Mona undresses slowly, watching herself in the mirror. Pleased with her reflection, Mona climbs into bed and masturbates—something she does every night.
Although Elsbeth and Mona think of themselves as extremely refined and they judge the other women for being common and immoral, Mona secretly engages in masturbation, which would be considered taboo and improper for women in the 1950s. This suggests that Mona is a hypocrite and it supports the idea that everyone in Dungatar has a secret of their own despite their judgment of one another.
Themes
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Out on the riverbank, Gertrude and William lie together and Gertrude allows William to slip one finger inside her. William arrives home cheerfully at dawn. Elsbeth is in tears—she’s been up all night waiting for William. She complains that William has been drinking, but he says that he is a grown up now and he swaggers off to his room.
It was considered immoral for women to have sex outside of marriage in conservative societies, like Dungatar, in the 1950s. This suggests that many of the Dungatar residents are hypocrites, as they engage in sexual encounters that they judge others for. For example, Molly is treated as an outcast in Dungatar because she had a child when she was not married, yet characters like Gertrude and William also indulge their sexuality out of wedlock. On another note, William’s encounter with Gertrude seems to temporarily transform him and give him confidence to stand up to Elsbeth.
Themes
Teddy walks Tilly home after the dance and he tells her that, if she will let him, he will take care of her. Tilly thanks him stiffly and says goodnight. Teddy tells her not to worry about the townspeople—they will get used to her. Tilly says that it is she who will have to get accustomed to them.
Although Teddy genuinely wants to help Tilly, Tilly seems to be haunted by her past experiences of rejection and does not want to allow Teddy to get close to her for fear of getting hurt again. Teddy thinks that Tilly wants to be accepted by the townspeople, but Tilly feels that this is impossible (they are too conservative and close-minded to change) and, therefore, she will have to change and adjust to live alongside them.
Themes
