Comedy’s Proximity to Tragedy: “Dance, Gladys, Dance” by Cassie Stocks

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As a rule, a comedy is associated with lighthearted fun, which often leads to people underestimating its narrative potential. However, a significant number of comedies incorporate narrative elements that allow them approaching a tragedy, therefore, challenging the reader’s expectations. However, apart from subverting people’s idea of what a comedy is supposed to be, the incorporation of the elements of tragedy allows the writer to infuse a comedy with emotional weight. Elevating the story, the specified tragic components of the story teach the reader o use laughter as a coping mechanism for overcoming daily challenges and even more complicated problems. “Dance, Gladys, Dance” is an accurate example of how tragic elements can transform a comedy from a humorous story into a source of profound insights into the human nature.

The introduction of tragic elements into comedy might seem counterintuitive. However, o further analysis, one will recognize that elements of tragedy play an important function in a comedic piece, as “Dance, Gladys, Dance” demonstrates. First and most important, the opportunity to accentuate the comedic elements by making them contrast with tragic events in the protagonist’s life can be considered one of the man reasons to combine the two. For example, in “Dance, Gladys, Dance,” the comedic scenes would not have brought the same sense of relief and light-hearted laugh had they not been preceded by the one that could be considered the lowest point in the character’s journey. Specifically, the description of Frieda’s failed relationships and her inevitable heartbreak as undeniably tragic scene set the premises for a more profound sense of relief that the reader experiences once a comedic scene takes place.

Indeed, while the interactions between Gladys as a ghost and the real worked in which Frieda lives is comedic yet often corny and plagued with the stereotypical misunderstandings that one would expect to see in a story about someone talking to a ghost that no one else can see, such as the narrator talking to the void. However, the specified moments offer an essential emotional respite after harrowing scenes such as Gladys recalling her child being taken away from her: “I was so scared. I knew something was wrong. ‘Bring me my baby,’ I said to him. ‘Where is he?’ He ignored me. ‘We’re worried about you, Gladys,’ he said and patted my hand. ‘We think it best that you have a little rest before you start taking care of your child” (Stocks 218). The specified scene reveals the unsurmountable tragedy behind Gladys’ story, thus, offering Frieda a more nuanced insight into her current motivations. Specifically, Gladys’ nonchalant attitude and her passion for dancing as seemingly innocuous character traits can be seen as the coping mechanism for addressing her trauma.

In fact, the opportunity to inject the specified perspective into the narrative and add dimensionality to the character is mentioned directly in the novel. Though addressed in passing and being quite easy to miss, the outlined effect of combining tragedy and comedy is rendered unambiguously, with the protagonist nearly bulldozing the fourth wall of the story: “’The juxtaposition between the women we see as above us, mixed with a symbol of their basic humanity. That’s great.’ Who said I didn’t learn anything in art school?” (Stocks 228). Therefore, the inclusion of the tragic elements into an ostensibly comedic story allows introducing complexity to the characters.

Furthermore, the balance that the inclusion of tragic moments into “Dance, Gladys, Dance” strikes helps transition to the discussion of more complex and nuanced issues more smoothly. Specifically, the incorporation of tragic elements into the novel allows the leading characters to delve into profoundly philosophical discussions of the nature of life and the effects that issues such as class, sex, gender stereotypes, and the related factors have on the interactions between people. The alienation between the protagonist and the rest of the community becomes evident after another heartfelt scene and the following seemingly superfluous one, in which she choose an outfit: “That’s all right, I was headed for another “foreign” world” (Stocks 242). The described sentiment suggests that Frieda views the gap between her and others as much larger than the one between her and Gladys, who is a literal ghost. Therefore, the tragic elements allow shedding light on a range of social issues.

Finally, whyen deconstructing the effects of the tragic components in the comedic narrative of “Dance, Gladys, Dance,” one must mention the impact that the specified change has on the opportunity to make a powerful statement. Even though the juxtaposition of the tragic and the comedic in the novel occurs naturally, allowing the reader to adjust to the pace, it still throws one into a slightly uncomfortable territory, where one is likely to contemplate the underpinnings of the story and the nuances of the characters’ lives. Specifically, the coexistence of the seemingly incompatible elements in a single narrative makes the reader ponder over the complexity of the characters and, therefore, the narrative, discovering underlying social issues (Campbell et al. 33). For instance, in Gladys’ tragic life story, the problem of the lack of women’s agency is rendered as she discloses that her child was virtually taken away from her.

In a similar manner, sociocultural concerns that the protagonist encounters are rendered in a more profound and sympathetic manner. While the scenes in which Frieda talks to invisible Gladys, leaving passers-by puzzled, are quite amusing, they still provide an insight into how people with mental health issues are treated in modern society, with derision being a more likely outcome than compassion: “She’s fine. No, she’s not. She’s not fine. None of it is fine” (Stocks 248). Thus, the fact that the comic and the tragic are not merely juxtaposed to each other in the novel, but are intertwined in the manner that allows them to coexist elevates “Dance, Gladys, Dance” over a range of similar stories.

Indeed, when considering the fashion in which comedic elements are introduced into the novel, one will realize that “Dance, Gladys, Dance” starts win a rather lighthearted manner, with only a few droplets of serious themes incorporated. However, as the tory progresses, more substantial elements are introduced, with the story culminating in a nearly overwhelmingly tragic context. Specifically, with Gladys being taken from Frieda to the police station, the comedy collapses under the weight of outcomes that Gladys’ and Frieda’s actions have entailed: “Had she escaped or been released? But what about her baby? The son she never got to see? What a mess” (Stocks 248). Therefore, the inclusion of tragic elements into the narrative makes the reader contemplate the implications of one’s choices including seemingly mindless and insignificant ones. Therefore, the incorporation of tragic elements also serves as the means of imbuing the novel with additional meaning and inviting the audience to embrace the complexity of life.

Furthermore, from a narrative perspective, incorporating tragic elements into the story allows the writer to humanize the protagonist. If Stocks had not included the moments portraying Gladys as sad and even depressed, the reader would not have perceived her as a three-dimensional character worthy of empathy. Thus, the introduction of tragic elements into the narrative allows humanizing the character and adding to her development (Campbell et al. 35). Therefore, the inclusion of tragedy into the narrative helps add dimension to the character and encourage the reader to connect with her and her emotions. Furthermore, by representing Gladys as a traffic character, the author allows the reader to see Frieda, the protagonist, in a similar light.

Remarkably, when selecting a specific scene form the novel that would point to the use of tragedy elements in the comedic narrative of “Dance, Gladys, Dance,” one is likely to find it quite a complicate task. Indeed, though the overall tone of the story is ostensibly superficial in its cheerfulness, its meaning is, in fact, much more somber. Telling the story of a woman who struggles to succeed in her career while maintaining independence in her life and pursuing a dream, “Dance, Gladys, Dance” describes a cadence of events that make the protagonist distance herself from reality. For instance, Frieda chooses to live in a remote area and surrounds herself with the remnants of a bygone era, therefore, creating a setting that is both nostalgic and wistful (Stocks 212). Therefore, even though the author sprinkles several funny moments, particularly, those featuring Frieda and Gladys interacting with the world, across the novel, the story remains quite somber for the most part.

As a result, elements of tragedy in “Dance, Gladys, Dance” are not paced on the forefront of the narrative but, instead, concealed in it. For instance, during the scene on the bus, when Frieda has to interact with other people while talking to Gladys, the lack of understanding that the audience has for her seems quite funny: “’What is this music?’ she asked. ’It’s rap,’ I said aloud. ‘No shit, Sherlock,’ said one of the teens” (Stocks 215). However, the specified scene also portrays the alienation between Frieda and the rest of her community. As a result, Frieda’s narrative becomes significantly more poignant. Remarkably, the specified scene also demonstrates that for comedy to coexist with tragedy, the presence of stark contrast is unnecessary., While the juxtaposition of the obviously comedic and undeniably tragic does produce a powerful impact on the audience, the novel also points to the fact that different perspectives on the same situation may reveal both its comedic and tragic potential.

Incorporating elements of a tragedy even though belonging to the comedy genre, “Dance, Gladys, Dance” introduces the audience to the idea of using laughter as a weapon against sorrow and pain. Thus, combining the seemingly incompatible, the novel encourages the reader to approach the hardships of reality in a more lighthearted manner. The specified idea is voiced quite accurately in Eric Bentley’s observation regarding the nature of tragedy in the context of a comedy. Instead of either making the readers adopt a superficially positive outlook on every occurrence or view life events through the prism of pain, a combination of tragic elements in a comedic narrative allows the audience to recognize the necessity to balance between the two.

Works Cited

Campbell, Timothy, and Grant Farred. “Leaving Tragedy. The Comic Self and Possession.” Studi di Estetica, vol. 48, no. 4, pp. 31-46.

Stocks, Cassie. Dance, Gladys, Dance. CNIB, 2014.

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Comedy’s Proximity to Tragedy: “Dance, Gladys, Dance” by Cassie Stocks

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