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Get every literary device explanation for Pride and PrejudicePlus so much more...
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Motif
Explanation and Analysis—Dancing:
The first volume of Pride and Prejudice features several balls where, through partnered dance, different relationship dynamics between the characters come to light. These balls form a motif of dancing that encourages readers to take note of which characters work well together as dance partners and perhaps, Austen implies, as life partners. In other words, the way that characters engage in dance mirrors their courtship patterns, foreshadowing who may make a good pair in marriage.
At the assembly ball where the Bennets first meet Darcy and Bingley, Bingley dances every dance—highlighting his fun and social nature—and shows interest in Jane right away by repeatedly asking her to dance with him. Darcy, on the other hand, rarely dances and blatantly refuses to ask Elizabeth to dance because she is “not handsome enough.” This moment encourages readers to understand Bingley to be an excellent romantic fit for Jane and also to form a judgment of Darcy similar to Elizabeth’s—that he is proud and unpleasant.
When Bingley throws a ball at Netherfield, Collins asks Elizabeth to dance, and Elizabeth narrates that he “often mov[ed] wrong without being aware of it,” which is the narrator's way of hinting that they are not a good match. Darcy, on the other hand, is a good dancer, but he and Elizabeth get into an argument while dancing, indicating that they could make a good pair if they stopped letting pride and vanity get in the way.
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