Dancing at Lughnasa Essay Example for Free

Dancing at Lughnasa Essay Dancing is significant in the play so far because it is the way the Mundy sisters can escape social boundaries and it is a form of self expression for them. Dancing is also the only way they feel satisfaction and take pleasure in life. The Mundy sisters can neither explain nor express their true feelings or desires because of their religion of catholism, therefore they use dancing to fill their desire to break free and give them strength to carry on living the way they do. Dancing also provokes many memories of better times for them, it is one of the two things Michael (narrator) remembers of that summer of 1936, therefore it is a big and reoccurring theme throughout the play so far. The Mundy sisters use dancing as a way to feel satisfaction and take pleasure in life, as soon as the radio ‘Marconi’ is switched on we see a different family in the play so far before the ‘Very fast; very heavy beat’ begins we see a religious, Catholic bound family who are unhappy and unable to express themselves but as soon as the radio this ‘sheer magic of a radio’ brings music to them they all become a happy, ecstatic, wild family in the dancing ‘Agnes, Rose, Chris and Maggie are now doing a dance’, we see the Mundy family let go and live the way the feel they should but cannot due to the strict religion of catholism. They long to dance, ’I want to dance’ but as their religion restricts them they feel embarrassed and too old ‘mature women, dancing? ’ to dance or express their feelings and desires, because of the time the play is set in 1936 they would have been seen as to old to get married and therefore we are shown that this is their life from now on. Through dance we see the battle of catholism and paganism shine through. Dancing is significant in the play because it shows us the happiness of the Mundy sisters, their desires to break free and their only way to show their true personalities. They use dancing as a form of self expression, it shows their battle between their fight to stay true to their religion and their urge to explore the pagan traditions. The significant of dancing is different to certain characters with Kate it shows her true self, and in Maggie’s case it provokes memories and reminds her of what she doesn’t have but could have if she had only left Ballybeg, and it one of the few things that Michael remembers of his summer of 1936, and links dancing with enjoyment and happiness in that tough time.