Why Don't You Dance? Group

Question:

fashion85
fashion85

In "Why Don't You Dance" by Raymond Carver, what has the girl discovered about life as a result of her encounter with the drunk man?

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Posted by fashion85 on Saturday April 19, 2008 at 8:07 AM and tagged with characters, girl.

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  1. gbeatty Teacher
    College - Freshman

    eNotes Editor

    The answer to that is not spelled out in the story, but her despair at the end of the story indicates that she has accidentally learned just how empty life is. To be specific, when she gets drunk, she doesn't seem to care who she dances with. That means that she's not with her boyfriend out of love, but out of…habit. Default. What's more, this man's life seems to be pathetic and empty, but she slides right in, just like she belongs there. Very sad.

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    http://www.enotes.com/why-dont-you-dance-salem/why-dont-y...

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    Posted by gbeatty on Friday May 2, 2008 at 6:22 PM