# II explained — Laughing Boy

> Chapter companion for Laughing Boy by Oliver La Farge.

## What happens

At a Navajo dance, Laughing Boy is pulled from the crowd of singers by a slender, richly adorned girl who challenges him to dance. He resists but eventually complies, paying a ten-cent forfeit after a single turn. He returns to the singers, offended by her forwardness and unconventional style.

## Themes in this chapter

### Tradition vs. Modernity

The dance blends traditional Navajo ceremony with modern elements like the American hat Laughing Boy wishes for, and the girl's unconventional dancing style.

### Gender Roles and Marriage

The girl's assertive behavior in pulling Laughing Boy to dance and her low forfeit challenge traditional gender expectations.

## Character check-ins

### Laughing Boy

Attends the dance, is singled out by a girl, dances reluctantly, and feels insulted by her boldness.

### Jesting Squaw

Mentioned as 'Jesting Squaw’s Son' who accompanies Laughing Boy at the dance.

### Slim Girl

The slender girl who pulls Laughing Boy to dance; she wears exceptional jewelry and behaves in a shocking, forward manner.

## Key lines

> A small drum beating rapidly concentrated the mixed noises into a staccato unison.

A fast drumbeat unified the scattered sounds into a rhythmic pattern.

_Describes the drum's role in organizing the dance's energy._

> Twelve girls in single file stole into the open space, moving quietly and aloof as though the uproar of singing were petrified into a protective wall before it reached them.

Twelve girls entered the dance area in a line, seeming detached and protected by the loud singing around them.

_Highlights the girls' poised entrance amid the chaotic singing._

> He felt animosity towards her, dark and slight, like a wisp of grass—only part of a woman.

He resented her slender, dark appearance, seeing her as incomplete or insubstantial.

_Reveals Laughing Boy's initial negative impression of the girl._

> Ten cents! Already!

She asked for only ten cents as the forfeit, which surprised and offended him by its low amount.

_Shows the girl's unconventional and dismissive attitude toward the traditional forfeit._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/laughing_boy_se/chapters/ii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/laughing_boy_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/laughing_boy_se/chapters