Dancer by Vicki Sears - (Long analysis) PDF

Preview

Summary

great analysis of the short story "dancer" by Vicki sears....

Description

Dancer by Vicki Sears When analyzing “Dancer” by Vicki Sears, it becomes clear that Molly Graybull is playing the role of the archetypal elder role model. This is seen when her dance performance does not only inspire and motivate Clarissa’s love for dance but also helps her mental and emotional well being. This is first seen in the story when Clarissa meets Molly Graybull for the first time. The night Clarissa meets Graybull for the first time, she starts to act differently. “Never had no dreams at all. Well, not the hollering kind anyways.”(Sears) This quote shows that the same night Clarissa meets Graybull, Graybull is already affecting her mental health. This quote can also be an example of foreshadowing how much of an effect Molly will have on Clarissa later on in the story. The change can be seen because at the beginning of the story, Clarissa always had nightmares but now she is not having nightmares anymore. This is an example of how the archetypal elder role model affected Clarissa’s mental health. Another example when Graybull’s archetypal role is shown is when Clarissa’s foster mother says, “Clarissa was keeping herself busy all the time going over to Molly Graybull’s.” This shows that Graybull is playing the role of an archetypal elder role model because elder role models in our society always want to teach the younger generation their tips and tricks into their hobbies. It seems that Clarissa is starting to learn a lot from Molly but not only her dance techniques. “One night she speaks up at supper and says, right clear and loud, ‘I’m an Assiniboin’.” This shows that Molly is also

teaching Clarissa how to love herself and be proud of her background like a typical elder would do to someone young. Therefore, this is an example of Molly Graybull’s role in teaching Clarissa how to have high self-esteem. In the short story, Clarissa’s change in emotion and dancing ability is shown through two similar quotes, one at the beginning and one at the end. When Clarissa’s foster mother meets Clarissa she describes her as “full up with anger and scaredness.” At the end of the story when Clarissa is dancing with Molly Graybull, her foster mother describes her as “full up with music.” I think Sears intentionally picked these two quotes to show how much change Clarissa went through during this story. These quotes show however since Clarissa meets Molly, she changes from being angry and scared to being “full up with music,” which can represent her happiness and confidence. In conclusion, Molly Graybull’s role as the archetypal elder role model helped shape Clarissa into a happier person and also motivated her into becoming the dancer she is now....