Analysis

The short story “Solo Dance” by Jayne Anne Williams is very brief, almost like flash fiction (a short story typically only a few hundred words long), and its structure lacks traditional elements such as rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. The story suggests an underlying conflict between the characters, and the existence of inner conflicts, but they are only hinted at and never resolved.

The characters include the woman, as the main character, and her father as a secondary character. Note that the woman’s mother her relatives, and the lawyer are also mentioned in the story.

The events take place in the hospital, where the woman visits her father, who has had a cancer operation. The social setting explores aspects related to family relationships, divorce, illness, and childhood experiences.

The events are described by a third-person narrator, who not only describes the action but also conveys the main character’s perspective. The narrator’s limited point of view helps portray the main character as a woman who is unaware of or hiding her feelings from herself and her father.

The language used by the narrator is simple, using narration instead of dialogue to give the sense that readers are watching the events unfold from the main character’s perspective.

Further help

Short story analysis

For more advice about analysing short stories, you can read our general guide to short story analysis.