I think one reason why Parker has her character keep dancing is because if she says "no" then there would be no story. Another reason she had them keep dancing was because in the time this was written a woman was expected to dance when a man asked her to. It would have looked like she was really odd if she just left and sat by herself at a table. She is writing about society and showing how women have to respond to social situations. She is saying through her sarcasm that she is trapped not only in this dance but in this social world that required her to dance with this idiot. I think that it was interesting when she says that of course she can't tell him that she does not want to dance with him. It seems like she is also making a reference to the fact that she cannot go against the social norms. It's also interesting to me that the dance she chose was a waltz which is very formal and graceful. I think it would seem like a different story if she would have chosen any other popular dance of that era such as the Charleston. I think this reiterates the point of structure.
Question 2: (For the Harper Group)
I think that Harper does not mention race because it's not the main problem she is trying to address. I think she is saying that women as a whole need to rise up from the idea that to be happy and successful they need to be someone's wife. She represents through Janette someone who can still have a happy life, full of love without waiting around for a husband. I think by having Laura die without her husband shows that in the end you only have yourself and that should be enough. I think she is also commenting on temperance with this story. Laura's husband is not with her because he drinks a lot. This can be a representation of how drinking can break up families and change people for the worse.
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