Themes and message

Sibling rivalry

The short story “The Dress” by Julia Darling explores the theme of sibling rivalry through the characters of sisters Rachel and Flora. 

In many ways, Flora feels inferior to her sister and envies her for being everything that she is not: “It seemed to Flora that the dress was meant for her, not Rachel. It made her feel taller, braver, cleverer, and Rachel was all those things already”. When given the opportunity to try on the dress, Flora feels “unable to take it off” and gives into temptation when she goes to a café wearing it. The dress puts Flora at the center of Alberto’s attention, which makes her rejoice and enjoy the hours spent with him at the café. 

Flora’s envy towards her sister prevents her from considering Rachel’s feelings. She is cunning and plans to return the dress later on, knowing that Rachel would not be able to admonish her and make a scene on their mother’s birthday: “Rachel would get over it. And that night it was their mother's birthday and Rachel wouldn't be able to shout at her”. 

The sisters’ rivalry prevents them from understanding what the dress means to the other. For Rachel, seeing Flora steal her dress and lie about it is a betrayal of her trust and she ca...