Analysis Of The Movie Dance Of America By Lorrie Moore

In Dance in America by Lorrie Moore, Eugene, a 7 year old boy living with cystic fibrosis lives in an old run down old fraternity house who exuberantly dances with his parents until he collapses every night before bed. Freedom is living as one wants to live. Throughout life, one tends to live just as they please; they live freely. As one chooses to live freely, they create their own essence-the reason that they exist. Throughout the story, many themes of existentialism are present. The narrator has to choose whether or not to stay at her hotel. She also makes the commitment to teach others about dance. Many would say her good friend, Cal, should feel dread in his life. He lives in an old run down fraternity house, with chipped paint and cracked plaster. And to top it all off, his son is dying of cystic fibrosis (Moore). Many would believe that Eugene, Cal’s son, would feel alienation, but he does not; he enjoys doing what all other children his age do—go to school, have fun, and dance. Although Eugene does not feel alienation, one might say that the narrator does. The narrator might feel alienation because she has not seen her friend Cal in twelve years, and he seemed different to her during the current visit. In Dance in America by Lorrie Moore, Eugene’s spirit fly’s freely despite his physical disability and his imminent demise. Existentialism is a philosophy for the twentieth century that revolves around being alive and the rationale of why humans find themselves to