Content Warning: This section references anti-gay bias and racism.

As a motif, dancing represents a cultural practice that is tied to the characters’ physicality and sexuality, developing the theme of Deception, Desire, and the Repression of Emotional Truths. Before their marriage, Carmel notices that Barry is only physically intimate with her when they are dancing. Carmel takes great pride in their dancing abilities, as the narration notes that Barry is the “best male dancer in St. John’s, same as [Carmel is] the best female dancer” (23). On their wedding night, however, Barry gets too drunk to dance with her in a moment that foreshadows the non-consummation of the marriage.

At the end of the novel, it is revealed that Carmel hasn’t danced since the 1970s. She reflects on this when she dances with her new lover, Hubert. Barry’s decades of neglect have stripped Carmel of one of the activities she loved the most, just as her physical need for intimacy was constantly rejected. This contrasts with Barry’s own relationship with dancing. As the novel’s opening scene establishes, Barry spends most of his nights out dancing with Morris. Although Barry must keep his orientation a secret, he is able to satisfy his physical needs, whereas Carmel cannot.