Fertility
Fertility is presented as being one of the major themes in the Animal Dreams. Fertility is not necessarily linked with the idea of having children but it also refers to the capacity of the land to produce enough food and to the idea of perpetuating a family line and connecting with the past and the future. The concept of fertility is linked with Emelina but not with Codi who is unable to have children, can’t seem to connect with her own father and even her failure to assist a woman in delivering a baby is seen as lack of fertility.
Community
The novel is based on the idea of community and it also analyzes the way a community can come together to accomplish something that otherwise will not be possible. The idea of community is closely linked with the idea of family and it seems that sometimes the boundaries between family and community are almost nonexistent. The importance of feeling integrated and accepted by the community is highlighted in the novel and it is hinted that individual happiness is impossible without feeling that the community where one lives in accepts that person.
