Dancing on the Edge Analysis

In a way, Han Nolan's decision to set Dancing on the Edge in the South places gives the novel characteristics of the Southern gothic tradition of literature. In a nutshell, Southern gothic literatu...

Dancing on the Edge is the kind of transformational story that demands that its protagonist tell her own story. If the novel were told using a third-person narrator, we'd still get all the goo...

Dancing on the Edge is a coming-of-age story of the most extreme kind because it involves a character not only emerging into greater self-awareness, but also letting go of beliefs and superstitions...

You've probably figured this out by now, but most of Miracle's story isn't exactly warm and fuzzy. Probably the bleakest aspect of the novel is that it's about a girl who has to hurt herself in ord...

It's difficult to tell exactly what distance Miracle's speaking from, but she's definitely telling us this story from a position of looking back into her past. We can tell because of statements pla...

For most of Dancing on the Edge, Miracle's in a pretty precarious situation. It's like she's living life on a balance beam—sometimes she's steady and stable, but other times she's not. And how co...

Part 1"I'm Nobody! Who are you?"—Emily Dickinson Part 2"The Truth must dazzle gradually, or every man be blind."—Emily DickinsonWhen Juleen Presque shows up at Miracle's house to tell her that...

At the end of the book, Miracle's chilling at the bus station while waiting for Aunt Casey to pick her up when a nice lady walks up to her and offers her popcorn. Miracle accepts, because seriously...

Dancing on the Edge might look like a short, simple novel, but you know that saying about not judging a book by its cover. It might be relatively brief, but it's jam-packed with complex characters,...

I'm Melting Oh, what a world, what a world… Because her mother's dead, when Miracle's father vanishes into thin air, our main girl isn't exactly left in the greatest family situation. She's...

Dancing on the Edge was inspired by Han Nolan's relationship with her adopted children. (Source.) It's no coincidence that Sissy and Miracle are passionate about dance—Nolan holds a Bachelor's d...

There might be a lot about fire in this book, but it's not that kind of fire.

Emily Dickinson, "I am nobody" (Part 1 epigraph; 21.40)William Shakespeare, Hamlet (2.67)William Shakespeare, Macbeth (2.67)William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream (2.67)Carol...