Essay on James Joyce's The Dead - Gabriel's Search for Self

James Joyce’s short story, “The Dead” depicts characters that all are seemingly alive, yet, on the inside, are very much dead. The main character, Gabriel Conroy, is more concerned with himself and how he is perceived than anyone else. His conceited nature plays a major role in his epiphany at the end of the story. After his wife, Gretta, divulges her childhood to Gabriel and the first young man who ever loved her, Gabriel come to the realization that “he had never felt like that himself towards any woman but he knew that feeling must be love (p. 628). With Gabriel’s sudden epiphany, the issue the readers knew, but he did not, surfaced. Gabriel was dead inside and only cared about himself. Any form of love he ever gave was to himself to boost his own egotistical personality.

Gabriel is rather opposite to the little boy because Gabriel is conscious of his actions, however, in both of these cases, love becomes a blinding factor to these characters (Gabriel and the little boy). Even though during the party Gabriel was anxious and nervous he remained calm and collected with the hopes of impressing his wife Gretta. Their relationship is almost one that should be admired. However, as Gretta was listening to The Lass of Aughrim being played Gabriel stood still and began observing, “There was grace and mystery in her attitude as if she were a symbol of something… If he were a painter he would paint her in that attitude” (Joyce 2192). In this brief moment husband and wife become strangers, the distance between them makes Gabriel see his wife in a new light. Although this may be arousing for him he questions how well he knows her. His connection to a painter depicts the idea that he is starting to understand the internal beauty of his muse, Gretta. Adding on, every painter starts with a blank canvas so Gabriel can ignore her mistakes and paint her without flaws, depicting Gretta perfect. Gabriel’s need to be accepted by this perfect woman is important to him because without her he feels insecure and degrades himself. Having a human interaction and being understood can demonstrate the social acceptance of these characters.

    In his short story The Dead, James Joyce creates a strong contrast between Gabriel, who is emotionally lifeless, and the other guests, who are physically aging and near death. Though physical mortality is inevitable, Joyce shows that emotional sterility is not, and Gabriel ultimately realizes this and decides that he must follow his passions. Throughout the story, a strong focus on death and mortality, a focus that serves as a constant reminder of our inevitable end of physical life, is prevalent in Joyce's selection of details. In the story, the unconquerable death ultimately triumphs over life, but it brings a triumph for the central character, not a loss. Despite the presence of death, the

James Joyce emerged as a radical new narrative writer in modern times. Joyce conveyed this new writing style through his stylistic devices such as the stream of consciousness, and a complex set of mythic parallels and literary parodies. This mythic parallel is called an epiphany. “The Dead” by Joyce was written as a part of Joyce’s collection called “The Dubliners”. Joyce’s influence behind writing the short story was all around him. The growing nationalist Irish movement around Dublin, Ireland greatly influences Joyce’s inspiration for writing “The Dubliners”. Joyce attempted to create an original portrayal of Irish middle class life in and around Dublin at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. The historical

In the novel The Dead, Gabriel Conroy, who is the nephew of Julia and Kate Morkan, is the main character of the story. One night he and his wife attended a party, which was given by his two aunts, and there were many other members in the party. The story revolves around their life and memories.Gabriel Conroy felt a blur between his soul and the dead. Some people died, but they are still alive because they have true love. Some people are alive, but they are still dead because they never love.I like the story for three reasons.

All in all, “The Dead” is a story of contradictions. Gabriel and the others at the party are alive, but they behave as though dead, while Michael Furey who is the only true dead character of the story, lives the most with his intense emotions, ardent love, and unconventional behavior. Furey helps Gabriel realize that life cannot be based off of deadened routines and formal conduct, but instead has to be full of adventure and excitement. In the end, Joyce uses artistic unity to suggest that people can exist

One of the main themes discussed in the book is silence. Silence was mainly discussed in the section of “Gabriel’s Prayer”. Gabriel is a preacher in the novel. He was once a very ambitious and wild who felt like he was on top of the world and nothing could stop him. In this part of the book, his sister, Florence is crying at the altar. This gave him a flashback to when he was crying on a tree he often sees on a daily basis. He was waiting for a sign from God to cleanse him of all his sin but hears

In the passage, “The Dead”, James Joyce reveals about the character’s qualities. James Joyce, the author of the excerpt, allows the reader to get to know the character, Gabriel, by using literary devices. For example, the author uses symbolism and imagery, to reveal so much about him, that Gabriel himself does not know about.

Unfortunately, the connection that Gabriel feels to his wife is the product of illusion. In reality, he doesn’t know her at all—a fact Joyce alludes to when Gabriel fails to recognize his own wife and sees only, “[a] woman standing near the top of the stairs…” (2192). When Gretta begins to reminisce about a boy from her past, Gabriel’s blanket of illusion is snatched away: “While he had been full of…joy and desire, she had been comparing him in her mind with another” (2197). Facing the reality of his wife’s love for another man, Gabriel now begins to question their entire relationship.

The Dead by James Joyce was an amazing story about a man named Gabriel Conroy and his wife Gretta attending a holiday party thrown by his aunts, Kate and Julia Morkin, where he is supposed to deliver a speech in which he is very nervous about. Throughout the whole story, Gabriel shows us his personality through his actions given to other people. Gabriel lacks emotional intelligence and is insensitive about everything around him and the world. His personality is what

In the story "The Dead" James Joyce gives his protagonist, Gabriel, a characterization through imagery and symbolism. He brings Gabriel into the perspective where the reader can understand him better through techniques and devices.

The novella "The Dead" by James Joyce tells the tale of early twentieth century upper class society in the Irish city of Dublin. The story tells of the characters' entrapment, and the tragic lives they lead, hiding behind the conventions of their society. Joyce uses the symbolism to draw a parallel between the natural way in which the snow covers the land and the way in which the characters use their culture unnatural to cover reality. This story comes together, not only to tell of the individual tragedy of these peoples lives, but to tell the tragic story of all of Ireland, as it's true problems become obscured in so many ways.

In The Dead, James Joyce lets symbolism flow freely throughout his short story. James Joyce utilizes his main characters and objects in The Dead to impress upon his readers his view of Dublin’s crippled condition. Not only does this apply to just The Dead, Joyce’s symbolic themes also exude from his fourteen other short stories that make up the rest of Joyce’s book, Dubliners, to describe his hometown’s other issues of corruption and death that fuel Dublin’s paralysis. After painting this grim picture of Dublin, James Joyce uses it to express his frustration and to explain his realistic view that the only solution to the issues with Dublin depends on a move to the West and towards a new life, rather than

wants to be perfect for all times.  He has a mental block, which makes him

     As well as an incapacity to act, Gabriel demonstrates a fragile ego by constant internal examination after every interaction at the party.  His first encounter is with the hostesses¹ maid, Lily.  When he questions her as to whether she is going to get married anytime soon, Lily becomes angry at this intrusion into her life.  Gabriel reveals this encounter "cast a gloom over him which he tried to dispel by arranging his cuffs and the bows of his tie" (Joyce 2348).  Instead of wondering why she is upset by the comment, he views the situation from only his point of view.  He wonders what he did to upset her, whether he used the