There are only two characters in "The Waltz," the female narrator and her male dancing partner. One of the first questions to ask about Parker's nameless narrator is, why doesn't she say 'no'?

Readers may be tempted to think the era in which this story was written is a factor; surely women are more willing to say 'no' or to express their feelings in the 1990s.

Yet Parker touched on a seemingly timeless quality when she created the narrator.

Women today still identify with the narrator, citing incidents in their lives when they felt obligated to accommodate their partner's wishes in a social setting when they preferred otherwise.

Another important element of the narrator is the dual nature of her personality, as revealed by the external and internal voices. The external voice is the feminine voice of compliance. It says Yes, and provides information in the form of...