The Dollhouse Murders

Flowers and plants represent Amy’s emotions. In Chapter 1, Amy feels broken inside, much like the tulip Louann breaks at the flower shop. The tulip is broken beyond repair, and Amy feels her life is unfixable, too. When Amy finds the dollhouse in Chapter 2, she compares the dollhouse to a four-leaf clover, a traditional symbol of luck. Amy believes the dollhouse (and by extension, living with Aunt Clare) will solve all her problems. This turns out to be a case of irony, as the dollhouse initially causes more problems than it solves. Ultimately, the four-leaf clover foreshadows the dollhouse bringing good fortune to everyone. Amy and Aunt Clare overcome their guilt, and their family reunites.

When Amy leaves to stay with Aunt Clare, Louann gives Amy an empty vase with pictures of roses on it. The roses represent the blossoming of Louann and Amy’s relationship by the end of the story. The empty vase symbolizes how Amy’s life would be without Louann—empty. In Chapter 9, Amy is frightened about the dollhouse. Louann’s vase brings Amy comfort, and in this way, the vase foreshadows Louann’s bravery about the dollhouse.

Amy goes home to retrieve a few things and notes how beautiful the flowers at her house are. The flowers foreshadow Amy’s later feelings of comfort with her family (including Louann) and her desire to go home. There are also flowers on Amy’s birthday cake. At first, Amy views these flowers as something too pretty that is meant to bribe her into letting Louann attend the party. The party goes well, despite Louann’s presence, and the flowers on the cake become a symbol of family, much like the flowers at Amy’s house.

The weather matches the story tension in many places. In Chapter 2, Amy runs away from home after she says mean things about Louann. She thinks of the weather as cold but soon realizes the June evening is actually quite warm. Once she makes that distinction, solutions to her current problem emerge. She goes to Aunt Clare’s house, a decision that sets Amy’s character growth in motion.

In Chapter 7, the weather to match Amy’s fear of the dollhouse. In the early evening, Aunt Clare is awake, and Amy has a handle on her fear. A light breeze blows in Amy’s bedroom window. After having nightmares, Amy wakes up in the middle of the night, her fears of the dollhouse magnified. Outside, the breeze is gone, replaced by a spooky stillness. This pattern continues in Chapter 15. Amy, Ellen, and Louann go to the park. The weather is warm and sunny with a lovely breeze. When they return home, Aunt Clare is upset because she believes Amy moved the dolls again. That night, a storm moves in, matching the change from a carefree day at the park to Aunt Clare’s anger.

The night Amy, Louann, and Aunt Clare learn the truth about the murders, there is a terrible thunderstorm. Amy and Louann witness the dollhouse playing out the murder, and the storm worsens as the evening goes on, eventually knocking out the electricity. The storm continues to rage through the desperate search for the truth. They find the letter from Grandma Treloar that names the murderer, and the tension lifts from the house. Immediately after, the storm blows over and the power turns back on. The tension in the weather matches the tension in the house. The morning after they learn the truth feels fresh, symbolizing a new beginning for Amy, Aunt Clare, and Louann.