Dreamland

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2000

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue

Part 1, Chapters 1-3

Part 1, Chapters 4-6

Part 2, Chapter 7

Part 2, Chapters 8-10

Part 2, Chapters 11-12

Part 3, Chapters 13-15

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Character Analysis

Caitlin O’Koren

Content Warning: This section discusses physical abuse by a family member, physical abuse by a partner, and the selling and use of marijuana.

The first-person narrator of Dreamland is 16-year-old Caitlin O’Koren, an average teenager who has lived in the shadow of her beloved older sister for her entire life. Caitlin’s voice is central to the novel, and her emotions play out through a range of interpersonal conflicts. Though Caitlin is primarily characterized as a regular teen, her inner thoughts and feelings serve as a fictionalized first-hand look at the nuances of the adolescent experience.

Over the course of the novel, Caitlin’s feelings about her family relationships change dramatically. She goes through a long period of feeling unseen by her parents and abandoned by her sister; in the conclusion of the novel, she is able to find a new way to define her role in her family and begins developing stronger relationships with both of her parents. Caitlin also feels deeply connected to Stewart and Boo, who serve as secondary parental figures to her and often provide guidance that the O’Koren’s are not able to give.

While much of the novel involves her family, Caitlin’s relationships with peers are her primary interest and the source of many conflicts in the novel. She characterizes herself as someone who goes along with the whims of her peers, until she breaks from that pattern and begins dating Rogerson. Since the novel is focused on Caitlin, her relationships drive much of the novel’s plot. In the conclusion, it is clear that Sarah Dessen intends Caitlin’s learning experiences to be a message to readers about how critical it is for teens to feel safe and open in their relationships with peers.

Caitlin’s psychological state is also a key underlying aspect of Dreamland. She describes needing to fill the emptiness her sister has left, which leads her to dating Rogerson. Since she doesn’t directly face the emotional disruption of her sister’s disappearance, Caitlin is left vulnerable and open to the manipulation of someone who is physically and verbally abusive. In Caitlin’s final photographic project, she forms a more conclusive sense of herself and her identity, showing her growth and strength.

Rogerson Biscoe

Caitlin’s love interest and boyfriend, Rogerson Biscoe, is portrayed as mysterious and attractive until his character is revealed. By the climax of the novel, Rogerson has become an antagonist who directs his own psychological suffering at Caitlin through intimate dating violence. Most of Dessen’s characterization of Rogerson is facilitated by Caitlin’s narration about him, which creates a sense of suspense as Caitlin slowly unravels the danger lurking underneath Rogerson’s attractive demeanor.

To most of Caitlin’s peers, Rogerson is an enigmatic, unpleasant person who has deviated too far from the norm. He spends most of his free time selling marijuana, has been kicked out of school or arrested, and is rude or dismissive toward most of his peer’s concerns. Despite this, Rogerson is also brilliant, and Caitlin frequently cites his ability to know a wide range of facts and to perform well on school assessments. These details are mainly reserved for Caitlin, who sees more of Rogerson than anyone else.

While Dessen portrays Rogerson as coming from extreme wealth, with highly successful parents, she also characterizes his family as a hostile setting for an adolescent. His mother is focused entirely on superficial concerns and his father is physically abusive toward him. Rogerson’s relationships with his parents and his experience of abuse is directly portrayed as connected to his treatment of Caitlin. This is an important nuance of the text and helps readers see Rogerson through multiple facets of his life.

Cass O’Koren

Cass plays a critical role in the novel despite being physically absent from Caitlin’s life for almost the entire text. Through Cass’s choice to abandon her planned future, she serves as a catalyst for the conflicts experienced both by the O’Koren family and, more specifically, by Caitlin. Caitlin describes Cass with deep admiration, not just for her academic and social success, but for the connection they share as sisters. Though Caitlin refuses to talk to Cass on the phone, she begins communicating to Cass through entries in her dream journal; Cass is the only person whom Caitlin trusts enough to disclose about the abuse she is experiencing. The letter Cass sends Caitlin in treatment is an important written parallel that reveals the pressures and grief that Cass was feeling when she chose to leave.

Cass also provides an important foil to Caitlin’s desperation to exist within the confines of her home life. By leaving and forging a wildly different path, Cass shows that there is a different way to pursue one’s goals and desires than what Caitlin knows. While Caitlin struggles with this realization for much of the novel, her reunification with Cass at the conclusion illustrates the importance of this contrasting narrative.