“You owe yourself the chance”
Dumplin'“You owe yourself the chance” is Lucy’s counsel to Willowdean when fear keeps her from entering her first dance class. The expression makes trying—not succeeding or persisting at any cost—the opportunity Willowdean deserves to give herself.
The Advice in Context
In third grade, Willowdean refuses to get out of the car before dance class. Lucy joins her in the backseat, tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and hands her a tissue from the front pocket of her housedress. She describes how concern about what others might think has kept her from ordinary errands as well as special experiences, and says, “I wasted all that time so you don’t have to.” Her advice grows out of regret, offered gently in a private moment rather than as a demand to overcome fear on command.
Meaning and Form
Lucy makes the choice less forbidding by giving Willowdean permission to stop: “If you go in there and you decide that this isn’t for you, then you never have to go back.” The chance she urges Willowdean to take is therefore not a promise that dance will suit her, or that she must continue. It is a chance to find out for herself, instead of letting anticipated judgment make the decision beforehand. The expression’s emphasis falls on self-permission and possibility, not on proving anything to other people.
Outcome and Significance
Willowdean stays with dance only for the fall, but recalls that this was not the point. That outcome gives Lucy’s advice its particular force: the value of the attempt does not depend on turning it into a lasting commitment. The phrase frames courage as allowing oneself an experience whose result remains open, and its remembered importance lies in the freedom to choose after trying.
