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

Part 2, Chapter 7Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 2: “Rogerson”

Part 2, Chapter 7 Summary

With the incident at Rogerson’s house now an unspoken secret, Caitlin’s relationship with him is cemented. The other cheerleaders talk about how Rogerson is a little dangerous, but Caitlin ignores them, feeling confident about her choice. Rogerson is “suddenly just there” (90), picking up Caitlin after school and sometimes coming over at lunch to see her. Caitlin even stops riding with the cheerleading team to games.

One day when Caitlin comes home after practice, her mother and Boo are discussing Cass’s continued silence. Boo brings up starting a photography class at the local center, and Mrs. O’Koren and Caitlin are both roped in. Boo asks Caitlin how she is doing, and she says she is “fine” (98).

The next week, after cheerleading practice at school, Mike Evans tries to talk to Caitlin about why she rejected him. She tries to ignore him and Rogerson shows up, looking threatening. Caitlin leaves with Rogerson, feeling protected.

When Caitlin’s parents tell her to invite Rogerson in one night, she is nervous, but he impresses them with his trivia knowledge. After a few questions, Caitlin says they have to go, and Caitlin feels struck by Rogerson’s brilliance. Caitlin reflects on her attraction to him and how respectful he is of her desire to take her “time” (109) in getting more intimate. She feels like she understands more how people develop physical attraction toward each other. As their relationship becomes more serious, Caitlin notices Rogerson’s moods, but mostly feels like she loves him. Though her grades are slipping, Rogerson’s academic prowess continues to impress her. She tests him on his trivia knowledge and he consistently knows each answer.

One day, Rogerson takes Caitlin with him to a small house out of town, where she meets Dave, Dave’s dog, and Dave’s girlfriend, Corinna. Corinna is welcoming to Caitlin, and they smoke together. Caitlin feels like she can be honest and appreciated in her relationship with Corinna. They eat lunch all together.

Part 2, Chapter 7 Analysis

Chapter 7 is the longest chapter in the novel and develops the foundation of many of the key aspects of Caitlin and Rogerson’s relationship. While Caitlin is enamored of Rogerson, Dessen characterizes him with multiple traits that are consistent with people who perpetrate abuse. Rogerson doesn’t listen to Caitlin and controls almost every aspect of their relationship, from social outings to music to timing. The scene with Mike Evans, when Rogerson appears threatening, only makes Caitlin like him more, even though his behavior has an undercurrent of danger to it. Dessen intentionally builds the tension of the novel through Chapter 7 by creating a sense of unease for the reader, who can see behind Rogerson’s behavior more than Caitlin is able to.

Drug use, specifically smoking marijuana, becomes more frequent in Caitlin’s life the longer she is with Rogerson. With Corinna, Caitlin engages in smoking for the first time without Rogerson’s insistence; this marks a turning point for Caitlin as a character, as she more fully departs from the path laid out for her. As Caitlin and Corinna watch a commercial about a girl in high school with acne, the visual mirrors Caitlin’s own process, as she tries to erase negative marks on her life by using a drug to remove her from reality. Caitlin’s drug use will consistently become more a part of her life, especially after Rogerson begins physically abusing her. Dessen doesn’t portray Caitlin’s smoking as an inherently negative activity, likely to create a nuanced and honest portrayal of the ways that teens use drugs. Caitlin has a reality she wants to escape from even before she meets Rogerson.

In Dreamland, trivia facts become a prominent example of a coping mechanism for experiencing trauma. This motif is established in Chapter 7, as Rogerson impresses Caitlin’s family by knowing so many facts in Trivial Pursuit. Later in the chapter, Caitlin tests Rogerson’s knowledge and he impresses her with all of the things he knows. Yet later in the novel trivia will be a method that Caitlin uses to dissociate from violence around her. Dessen seems to be implying that Rogerson has experienced enough trauma that he has developed his own extensive coping mechanisms for processing violence and harm. He can recite numerous statistics and interesting facts, but as Caitlin notes, Rogerson can’t actually face his own feelings or anger.