Chapter 07
The Art of Appearing Wanted
They danced. Mr. Dowling should have found other forms of exercise and pastime. Nature has not designed everyone for dancing, though sometimes those she has denied are the last to discover her niggardliness. But the round young man was at least vigorous enough--too much so, when his knees collided with Alice's--and he was too sturdy to be thrown off his feet, himself, or to allow his partner to fall when he tripped her. He held her up valiantly, and continued to beat a path through the crowd of other dancers by main force. He paid no attention to anything suggested…
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Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"They danced. Mr. Dowling should have found other forms of exercise and pastime."
Context: Opening verdict on Frank's disastrous first dance with Alice
Tarkington's dry sentence frames the whole evening: Alice must endure bad company because better company will not come.
In Today's Words:
The narrator opens by saying Dowling should have picked another hobby entirely, which is funnier and crueler than calling him a bad dancer. When you are socially stranded, you often accept partners who injure your feet because the alternative is standing alone where everyone can count it.
"There! That's exactly the kind of looking man I'd like to marry!"
Context: Her instant reaction on first seeing Arthur Russell with Mildred
Desire arrives as fate pronounced by an inner voice, sharpening her envy of Mildred's advantages.
In Today's Words:
She sees Russell once and hears a sentence inside her as definite as if someone spoke it aloud. That flash of certainty is dangerous because it turns a stranger into destiny before she knows his character, his plans, or whether he has already chosen someone else.
"my most intimate friend"
Context: Telling Frank how close she is to Mildred Palmer
Alice repeats a social fiction Frank's gossip immediately undermines; intimacy is a claim, not a fact.
In Today's Words:
She tells Frank that Mildred is her most intimate friend, the phrase she uses whenever she needs rank by association. The words are a badge she pins on herself, and Russell's unexplained presence proves Mildred never awarded her the matching pin on the other side.
"She had learned to do it perfectly."
Context: Describing Alice's performance of waiting for an absent partner
Perfection here means years of humiliation refined into technique; the skill is proof of decline, not success.
In Today's Words:
The narrator says she can fake waiting for a man who is coming back, and she does it flawlessly. Skills like that are never neutral: you only master them after enough empty dances teach your body how to look chosen when nobody has chosen you.
Thematic Threads
Class Anxiety
In This Chapter
Alice desperately performs belonging while knowing she's slipping down the social ladder, becoming a consolation prize for men like Frank
Development
Intensified from earlier hints - now we see the active work required to maintain class position
In Your Life:
You might recognize this in your own efforts to fit in at work events or social gatherings where you feel financially outclassed
Female Competition
In This Chapter
Alice's bitter resentment toward Mildred, who effortlessly attracts the wealthy Arthur Russell while Alice struggles for scraps
Development
Introduced here as a new dynamic - the pain of watching others succeed where you fail
In Your Life:
This shows up when you compare your struggles to others' apparent ease, especially in dating, career advancement, or social acceptance
Social Performance
In This Chapter
Alice's elaborate theater of arranging chairs and expressions to appear wanted when actually abandoned
Development
New theme revealing the exhausting work of maintaining false appearances
In Your Life:
You might perform this when crafting social media posts or conversations to seem more successful, busy, or popular than you feel
Authentic Connection
In This Chapter
Alice realizes her friendship with Mildred is one-sided - Mildred never mentioned Arthur Russell, showing their intimacy is an illusion
Development
Builds on earlier themes of Alice's isolation, now showing even her friendships are hollow
In Your Life:
This appears when you realize you're more invested in relationships than the other person, or when friends don't share important life updates with you
Lost Youth
In This Chapter
Alice was genuinely popular at sixteen but has spent two years learning to fake desirability as her real status crumbled
Development
Introduced here - the painful recognition that peak moments don't last forever
In Your Life:
You might feel this when comparing your current struggles to times when things came more easily, whether in career, relationships, or social situations
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
This is not a test. Five prompts guide you through the chapter, from how it opens to how it closes, so you notice context and rhythm rather than facts to memorize. Sit with each question in your own words. When you see "One way to read it," treat it as a starting point, not the only answer.
- 1
What specific actions does Alice take to suggest she is waiting for a partner who will return?
analysis • surfaceOne way to read it
She claims a second chair, rests her hand on it, taps her foot in cadence, and wears a repressed half-smile as if an amusing errand has detained him.
- 2
Why does learning about Arthur Russell hurt Alice more than Mrs. Dowling's interference?
analysis • mediumOne way to read it
Russell combines wealth, looks, and Mildred's secrecy; he proves Alice's friendship claim is one-sided and her rival is still collecting advantages.
- 3
Where do people today perform being busy or accompanied when they feel socially stranded?
application • mediumOne way to read it
Leaving an extra drink at a bar, posting active stories during lonely weekends, or staying on phone calls in public waiting areas.
- 4
How does Mrs. Dowling use public emotion to control Frank?
analysis • deepOne way to read it
She becomes tearful before strangers so Frank surrenders to avoid scene-making; his compliance trains her to escalate the tactic.
- 5
What would honest recovery look like for Alice after this dance, beyond perfecting the absent-partner act?
reflection • deepOne way to read it
Grieving her changed status, investing in relationships that reciprocate, and skipping rooms where she must translate loneliness into theater.
Critical Thinking Exercise
Spot the Performance Trap
Think of a time when you felt your status or popularity declining in some area - work, social circles, family dynamics, or hobbies. Write down three specific ways you might have 'arranged chairs' to maintain appearances instead of accepting and adapting to the new reality. Then identify one authentic action you could have taken instead.
Consider:
- •Performance requires constant energy and creates distance from real relationships
- •The skill at hiding decline often proves how far you've actually fallen
- •Authentic rebuilding from your real position is more sustainable than elaborate theater
Journaling Prompt
Write about a current situation where you might be performing rather than being authentic. What would it look like to build from your real position instead of your performed one?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 8: The Cruelest Performance
Alice's carefully crafted performance of having an escort can only last so long before people notice the deception. As she anxiously scans the room for available dance partners, the fragile illusion she's built threatens to collapse entirely.
