Chapter 14: Style

What symbolism lies in the woman’s dance?

• The woman’s dance symbolizes her grief and mourning. The fact that her dance was so graceful and peaceful, almost like a ritual, might mean that she was reminiscing on past memories with her family. The author describes this dance when he stated that “The girl went up on her toes and made a slow turn and danced through the smoke. Her face had a dreamy look, quiet and composed” (O’Brien 130). She was dancing so that she wouldn’t be overcome by pain and loss. She was dancing to remain sane through the chaos caused by the war. 

What does Dobbins means when he says “Dance right!”?

• Dobbins didn’t like the fact that Azar was making fun of the girl and mocking her when she was only grieving and trying to cope with the fact that her family was dead. When he told him to dance right, Dobbins meant to dance with respect, with the intent to honor the girl’s family, and not with the intent of making fun of her. Dobbins was serious about this and to prove his point, he “took Azar from behind and lifted him up high and carried him over to a deep well and asked him if he wanted to be dumped in” (O’Brien 130). Clearly, Dobbins respected the girl and wanted to make sure Azar did too. 

Reflection:

“Style,” like “Church,” shows  the contrast between moral intentions and ill intentions (right and wrong). In this story, Henry Dobbins dislikes the fact that Azar is mocking the girl’s dancing and threatens to throw him over a well if he doesn’t stop. Yet, there is more irony here because Dobbins is one of the people responsible for the casualties in Vietnam. He is hardly occupying a moral high ground. Even so, Dobbins, believes that they should have at least some respect for the people who have lost family to the war. In this case, he thinks it cruel to mock those who have been tortured—even though he is partly responsible for this torture. Furthermore, the girl’s dancing is similar to Dobbins carrying his girlfriend’s stocking around his neck. Both the stocking and the dance represent how people during the war found ways to remain sane during the war,  to remember who they are, to have hope that soon the war will end. Yet, just as Dobbin’s stockings can’t actually deflect a bullet or a round or mortar, the girl’s dance can’t bring back her family, her village, or the life she had before. These are the harsh realities that people were subject to during the war.